KH Neochem Forms Alliance with Hokkaido System Science on Glycan Oligonucleotides

KH Neochem has entered a business alliance agreement with Hokkaido System Science to expand contract synthesis services for glycan-modified oligonucleotides and boost related sales. Hokkaido System Science will launch contract synthesis services for oligonucleotides modified with KH Neochem's glycans, combining its 30-plus years of oligonucleotide synthesis and CRDMO experience with KH Neochem's high-purity, homogeneous glycans used in pharmaceutical development. The alliance targets nucleic acid therapeutics where glycan-based targeting aims to improve selective tissue delivery.

Key facts

Market context

Glycans are sugar-based molecules that drug developers attach to nucleic acid drugs to steer them toward specific tissues and cells. Oligonucleotides, including siRNA, antisense oligonucleotides, and other short DNA or RNA chains, are used to silence or modify gene expression, and their development depends on precisely built, high-purity building blocks. Demand is driven mainly by pharmaceutical developers working on rare disease, cardiovascular, metabolic, and other targeted therapies, along with the contract development and manufacturing organizations that produce these molecules for them. Suppliers able to provide uniform, well-characterized sugar components are valuable because impurities or mixed structures can complicate regulatory review and manufacturing consistency. Tie-ups that pair a specialty chemical supplier with an oligonucleotide manufacturer can shorten supply chains and give drug developers more sourcing options, though they typically affect pricing and competition gradually rather than abruptly.

Source: official release on khneochem.co.jp. Summary and context written by Market Krystal.