An international research team led by the University of Vienna has succeeded in developing a new version of RNA building blocks with higher chemical reactivity and photosensitivity. This can significantly reduce the production time of RNA chips used in biotechnological and medical research. The chemical synthesis of these chips is now twice as fast and seven times more efficient. The results of the research were recently published in the prestigious journal Science Advances.

The emergence and approval of RNA-based medical products, such as mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, has brought the RNA molecule into the public eye. RNA (ribonucleic acid) is an information-carrying polymer – a chemical compound made up of similar subunits – but with far greater structural and functional diversity than DNA. About 40 years ago, a method was developed for the chemical synthesis of DNA and RNA, in which any sequence can be assembled from DNA or RNA building blocks using phosphoramidite chemistry. The assembly of a nucleic acid chain is carried out step by step using these special chemical building blocks (phosphoramidites). Each building block carries chemical 'protecting groups' that prevent unwanted reactions and ensure the formation of a natural link in the nucleic acid chain.

Source: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240801/Researchers-develop-highly-reactive-RNA-building-blocks-for-enhanced-chip-production.aspx