CatSci Make Significant Investment Into Oligonucleotides Capability

CatSci Ltd is pleased to announce that we have made a significant investment to support the development of our oligonucleotide capability. This investment will allow us to support our customers even further by offering “more and better” while adding strategic value to their pharmaceutical pipeline.

The news comes following CatSci’s significant investment from Keensight Capital to support our ambitious and strategic growth plans. As we embark on our evolution, customer and patient needs remain at the forefront for us. Oligonucleotides are an emerging modality and an innovative technology offering new therapeutics opportunities to treat previously unmet patients’ needs. Our investment will further accelerate the development and manufacture of these complex molecules.

Oligonucleotides are traditionally used to treat rare diseases; they represent a broad class of different moieties, including microRNAs, small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs), antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and aptamers. With the growth of genomics providing detailed insights into the genetic basis of many diseases, it is now possible to identify sections of the gene that are amenable to interference by synthetic oligonucleotides. These new mechanisms have the potential to deliver new RNA medicines for previously undruggable targets.

The investment into CatSci’s oligonucleotide capability will commence at our Cardiff site, led by Dr Nigel Richardson, CatSci’s Director of New Modalities. Nigel has decades of experience in the oligonucleotides space, having previously led GSK’s oligonucleotide therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy into the final stages of development and regulatory submission. This capability will allow us to make oligos from nanomole quantities up to 30 grams using solid phase synthesis. This investment will also allow CatSci to carry out unique and exciting research into new manufacturing approaches as we explore a new technology platform that aligns to our green chemistry commitments. This will enable us to continue meeting the ever-evolving needs of the pharmaceutical world by leveraging our customer-focused attitude and superlative understanding of both the CMC landscape and the requirements of oligonucleotides development.

Dr Nigel Richardson, CatSci’s Director of New Modalities, said:

“I am thrilled that CatSci are investing into oligonucleotides; this is an exciting development and will allow us to offer even more to our customers and get even more life-changing medicines into the hands of patients in need. RNA medicines are greatly expanding and moving into more mainstream therapy areas, while they are also crucial for addressing unmet disease needs. I am excited to be able to offer our oligonucleotides capability to our customers while driving the paradigm shift needed for their manufacturing process, using our expertise and innovative multi-disciplinary solutions to combat patients’ needs.”

Dr Jerome Théobald, CatSci’s Chief Operating Officer, said:

“It is great news for CatSci and our customers alike that CatSci are entering further into the oligonucleotide space. Our expert team will leverage their decades of CMC experience to speed up the development and delivery of oligonucleotide therapeutics that meet the requisite quality standards. I am excited for what the future holds; we will enhance our GMP capability to support our customers’ pre-clinical and clinical needs, while embarking on our journey to become a fully integrated partner for innovative medicines development. I am thrilled to be part of CatSci’s growth journey powered by Keensight’s continuous support.”