Grünenthal Joins Munich Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Cluster to Advance Oligonucleotide-Based Pain and Neurology Pipeline
Key Insights
Grünenthal has joined the Cluster for Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Munich (CNATM) (search) to strengthen its oligonucleotide drug discovery capabilities in pain (search) and neurological indications.
The company has built internal expertise in antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) (search) and siRNA modalities, with a focus on targeted delivery to neuronal cells and tissues.
Key objectives include improving understanding of oligonucleotide design, delivery, and cellular activity for conditions such as pain (search), epilepsy (search), and neurodegenerative disorders (search).
AACHEN, Germany — Grünenthal announced on July 16, 2026 that it has joined the Cluster for Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Munich (CNATM) (search), a Munich-centered innovation network dedicated to accelerating next-generation nucleic acid therapeutics. The move signals the pain (search)-focused pharmaceutical company's deepening commitment to genetic medicine, particularly in the development of oligonucleotide-based treatments for pain and related neurological conditions.
The CNATM brings together leading universities, research institutions, biotech companies, and industry partners to advance modalities such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) (search), small interfering RNA (siRNA) (search), and related nucleic acid technologies into more effective drugs. The cluster is part of the Clusters4Future initiative and has received funding from Germany's Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), underscoring its national strategic relevance.
Building Internal Oligonucleotide Expertise
Over the last few years, Grünenthal has built strategic in-house capabilities to advance oligonucleotide modalities, including ASOs and siRNA, as potential therapeutic approaches for pain (search) and related neurological indications. By joining CNATM, the company gains a valuable platform to connect its growing internal expertise with one of Germany's leading academic and biotech innovation ecosystems.
One of Grünenthal's key objectives for the collaboration is to improve the understanding of oligonucleotide design, delivery, and cellular activity, with a particular focus on targeted delivery of siRNA and related approaches to neuronal cells and tissues relevant for pain (search), epilepsy (search), and neurodegenerative disorders (search).
"We look forward to collaborating with our CNATM-partners and connecting cutting-edge academic science with a patient-outcome-focused industry perspective," said Uli Brödl, Chief Scientific Officer at Grünenthal. "With the CNATM, we are joining a group of like-minded experts striving to address unmet needs through innovation, and I am delighted for our teams to advance novel approaches with the leading members from the German and international nucleic acid therapeutics community."
A Broad Innovation Network
The cooperation connects Grünenthal to an innovation network comprising scientists from the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, the Technical University of Munich, the universities of Regensburg and Würzburg, the Helmholtz Centre Munich, and 14 companies driving innovation in genetic medicine from the wider Munich region. CNATM brings together scientific strengths in nucleic acid chemistry, biology, pharmacology, formulation, delivery, and translational medicine.
The collaboration is also intended to help seed innovation across the cluster, creating scientific insights, technologies, and therapeutic concepts that could be advanced internally, through partnerships, or via new biotech ventures.
Grünenthal's Strategic Position
Grünenthal is a global leader in pain (search) management and related diseases. Headquartered in Aachen, Germany, the company has affiliates in 28 countries across Europe, Latin America, and the U.S., with products available in approximately 100 countries. In 2025, Grünenthal employed around 4,100 people and achieved revenues of €1.8 billion. The company's purpose is centered on its vision of a "World Free of Pain," with innovation as its stated passion.