BioSpring GmbH, a Frankfurt, Germany-based contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing in therapeutic oligonucleotide active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and Luxna Biotech, an Osaka, Japan-based biotechnology company focused on nucleic acid technologies, have expanded their collaboration to support manufacturing of modified oligonucleotides.

Under the expanded agreement, BioSpring will manufacture custom oligonucleotides incorporating additional modified nucleic acid chemistries developed by Luxna, boosting the range of materials available through BioSpring’s oligonucleotide manufacturing services, according to the companies.

As part of the extended agreement, BioSpring can now manufacture oligonucleotides using Luxna’s GuNA amidites in addition to previously included AmNA, scpBNA, and 5′-CP chemistries. GuNA is part of Luxna’s Xeno Nucleic Acid (XNA) technology platform and is designed to provide enhanced nuclease resistance, improved target binding, and reduced immunotoxicity and neurotoxicity — properties the companies said can support the development of therapies targeting neurodegenerative diseases.

Hüseyin Aygün, chief scientific officer at BioSpring, said in a statement the addition of GuNA allows the company to support customers with a broader set of XNA chemistries for the design and manufacture of modified oligonucleotides.

Hideaki Sato, president and CEO of Luxna Biotech, added that combining GuNA with 5′-CP can contribute to improved efficacy and safety in therapies targeting central nervous system diseases.

The expanded collaboration follows BioSpring's 2025 groundbreaking on a large-scale nucleic acid API manufacturing facility in Offenbach, Germany, which is expected to produce RNA- and DNA-based APIs at commercial scale upon completion by the end of 2027.