Convergent Biocatalytic Mediated Synthesis of siRNA

ACS Chem Biol. 2023 Oct 20;18(10):2183-2187. doi: 10.1021/acschembio.3c00071. Epub 2023 Apr 16.

Abstract

New technologies are required to combat the challenges faced with manufacturing commercial quantities of oligonucleotide drug substances which are required for treating large patient populations. Herein we report a convergent biocatalytic synthesis strategy for an Alnylam model siRNA. The siRNA chemical structure includes several of the unnatural modifications and conjugations typical of siRNA drug substances. Using Almac's 3-2-3-2 hybrid RNA ligase enzyme strategy that sequentially ligates short oligonucleotide fragments (blockmers), the target siRNA was produced to high purity at 1 mM concentration. Additional strategies were investigated including the use of polynucleotide kinase phosphorylation and the use of crude blockmer starting materials without chromatographic purification. These findings highlight a path toward a convergent synthesis of siRNAs for large-scale manufacture marrying both enzymatic liquid and classical solid-phase synthesis.

MeSH terms

  • Biocatalysis
  • Humans
  • Oligonucleotides* / chemistry
  • Phosphorylation
  • RNA, Small Interfering / genetics

Substances

  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Oligonucleotides