Effectively Scaling Up The Oligonucleotide Manufacturing Process

By Scott Merz, Business Development Manager – Midwest and West

The market demand for oligonucleotide products continues to accelerate with government-invested genome projects and therapeutics acting as some of the primary drivers behind the growing wave. How do we scale to meet market demand and take advantage of this substantial opportunity?

The precursor to oligonucleotide manufacturing lies in a multitude of technical advances in methodology, research, and biotechnology development, as well as beneficial laws allowing for more academic research funding – such as the Bayh-Dole Act. Developed in the 1980s, the Phosphoramidite Approach is still the industry-standard method, allowing oligonucleotide synthesis to develop from being created by chemists in a lab to commercial-scale operations.

There are three main ways to scale any manufacturing operation: Acquire a current company, build a new one or expand your existing facilities. To accelerate the path to success, there are several considerations on how to upgrade your current facility, tackle acquisitions or build a future-focused operation. In this article we explore how purpose-driven decisions backed by a thorough process that reaps you the largest profit potential over time can result in successful scale up.