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The ISO 9001:2000 certified specialist oligonucleotide reagent manufacturer, Link Technologies Ltd, is pleased to announce the commercialisation and launch of a range of unlocked-nucleic acid (UNA) monomers under license from RiboTask ApS, Denmark. Under the terms of the agreement Link are permitted to sell the four UNA monomer phosphoramidite reagents for use in research. No financial details of the agreement have been disclosed.

These UNA products enable the fine-tuning of the duplex thermodynamic stability of oligonucleotides with applications in areas such as improved siRNA gene silencing.

Professor Jesper Wengel, co-founder and Chairman of RiboTask, and inventor of the UNA technology, commented: "In our efforts to advance the UNA technology, we have initiated an active out-licensing strategy. As a first step towards realising this strategy we are excited to now work with Link Technologies on the marketing of UNA monomers. We are convinced that Link Technologies, with its proven product quality and commitment to new technology, is an ideal partner for RiboTask".

Dr John Bremner, Business Development Director at Link Technologies, concurs: "We are delighted to be working with such an eminent scientist in the oligonucleotide field as Professor Wengel. These products offer exciting possibilities for siRNA research, further enhancing the unique set of tools we are able to offer our customers".

Patents for the therapeutic use of UNA oligonucleotides are held by MDRNA, Inc., Bothell, Washington,US.