Agilent Expands Oligonucleotide Manufacturing in Boulder

Editor’s Take: Nucleic acid-based drugs have gained significant attention in recent years as a highly promising area of new drug development. Read our overview of oligonucleotides.

Agilent Technologies Inc. has added new laboratory space in Boulder, Colorado, to support the expansion of its oligonucleotide manufacturing capabilities. The facility is expected to support the development and scale-up of emerging manufacturing technologies for oligonucleotide therapeutics, initially focusing on enzymatic ligation.

Enzymatic ligation uses enzymes to join shorter oligonucleotide fragments into longer therapeutic molecules. The approach is being evaluated as a complement to solid-phase phosphoramidite synthesis, an established method used across oligonucleotide development and manufacturing. Together, these approaches may provide greater flexibility in selecting an appropriate manufacturing process based on a program’s scale and technical requirements.

“We continue to evaluate manufacturing technologies that can help our customers advance oligonucleotide therapeutics from development toward commercialization,” said Blake Unterreiner, vice president and business unit leader for Agilent’s Advanced Therapeutics Division. “The additional laboratory space gives our teams a dedicated environment to further evaluate the customer’s enzymatic ligation processes and respond to evolving customer manufacturing needs.”

Agilent expects initial customer programs to begin in the Boulder laboratory in November 2026, subject to applicable operational and regulatory requirements.

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