UMass Chan Medical School Partners with Hongene Biotech to Expand Access to exNA Oligonucleotide Technology
Key Insights
UMass Chan Medical School has entered a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Hongene Biotech Corporation (search) to produce and distribute extended nucleic acid (search) (exNA (search)) monomers and exNA-modified oligonucleotides for research applications.
The exNA (search) technology, developed by researchers at the RNA Therapeutics Institute (search), introduces a proprietary backbone modification that significantly enhances oligonucleotide durability and pharmacokinetics while maintaining compatibility with established siRNA designs.
This partnership aims to accelerate RNA therapeutics research beyond liver-targeted applications, addressing a long-standing delivery challenge in the field where all seven FDA-approved siRNAs currently target only liver cells.
UMass Chan Medical School has entered a non-exclusive licensing agreement with China-headquartered Hongene Biotech Corporation (search) to produce and distribute extended nucleic acid (search) (exNA (search)) monomers and exNA-modified oligonucleotides for research applications. The collaboration, announced on August 26, 2025, aims to broaden access to an emerging oligonucleotide backbone modification that could significantly advance RNA-based drug development beyond current limitations.
Revolutionary Backbone Modification Technology
The exNA (search) technology was developed by Ken Yamada, PhD, assistant professor of RNA therapeutics, and Anastasia Khvorova, PhD, the Remondi Family Chair in Biomedical Research and professor of RNA therapeutics at the RNA Therapeutics Institute (search) at UMass Chan Medical School. The proprietary backbone modification significantly enhances the durability and pharmacokinetics of oligonucleotide therapeutics (search) while maintaining compatibility with established small interfering RNA (siRNA) designs.
"The exNA (search) chemical scaffold stabilizes, sustains and extends the longevity of oligonucleotide drugs," according to the researchers. The improved performance of exNA oligonucleotides has the potential to advance RNA-based translational research and achieve therapeutic success in living tissue, especially cells other than liver cells.
Addressing Critical Delivery Challenges
The partnership addresses a significant limitation in current RNA therapeutics. While oligonucleotide drugs, including siRNAs, represent a new class of medicine that enables modulation of disease-causing genes for therapeutic effect, their application has been largely restricted to liver targeting. There are seven siRNAs approved for clinical use by the Food and Drug Administration (search)—all targeting the liver—with more in late-stage clinical trials.
"We're excited to be partnering with Hongene Biotech to make exNA (search) oligonucleotide technology more widely available to scientists and investigators," said Dr. Yamada. "Hongene's expertise in phosphoramidite manufacturing and oligonucleotide synthesis allows us to expand access to exNA oligonucleotide technology for translational investigators."
Strategic Manufacturing Partnership
Under the terms of the agreement, Hongene will apply its expertise in phosphoramidite manufacturing and oligonucleotide synthesis to make exNA (search) phosphoramidites and custom exNA oligonucleotides available through its catalogue and services. The company will act as a supplier for academic groups and biopharmaceutical companies looking to incorporate exNA into experimental platforms.
David Butler, PhD, chief technology officer at Hongene, emphasized the strategic importance of the collaboration: "This partnership reflects our strategy to bring next-generation RNA chemistries to market and support researchers working on the toughest delivery challenges in oligonucleotide therapeutics (search)."
Implications for Extrahepatic Applications
The expanded access to exNA (search) technology is expected to help advance research into more stable, tissue-specific RNA therapeutics and support the development of novel medicines targeting areas of unmet clinical need. For researchers working on RNA interference, antisense oligonucleotides, and other modalities, the ability to source exNA building blocks through a commercial catalog could accelerate preclinical studies.
"By enabling access to exNA (search) for research, we hope to accelerate the development of RNA-based medicines for extrahepatic indications," said Dr. Butler. The modification's potential to improve extrahepatic delivery addresses a technical barrier that has slowed therapeutic expansion beyond liver-targeted indications.
The partnership underscores the growing emphasis on chemical precision and manufacturing scalability as critical enablers of RNA medicine, with implications for diseases that remain underserved by current modalities.