BELLSHILL, SCOTLAND, 3 November 2009: 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.

About Link Technologies Ltd
Link Technologies is a leading ISO 9001:2000 certified manufacturer of reagents for oligonucleotide synthesis and modification (DNA, RNA, PNA and UNA). The company has a diverse product range that includes phosphoramidites, solid supports, modifiers, labels, bioconjugation, and oligo-immobilisation products. Link also works collaboratively with other companies providing specialist chemistry expertise and developing new products in areas such as diagnostics and microarrays.

For further information see: www.linktech.co.uk.

About RiboTask ApS
RiboTask is a Danish biotechnology company offering RNA oligonucleotides for research and development purposes. Among the products and services provided by RiboTask are highly complex RNA oligonucleotides and incorporation of customer-specific proprietary modifications. Central products of RiboTask are UNA- and LNA-modified RNA oligonucleotides, and "Superior-Probes" for microRNA targeting. RiboTask is furthermore engaged in research and development of new RNA-related products and technologies. For further information see: www.ribotask.com.

About Unlocked Nucleic Acid
Unlocked nucleic acid (UNA) is an acyclic ribonucleoside analogue in which the bond between C2' and C3' atoms is broken. This change in sugar structure renders this nucleoside analogue very flexible. This characteristic is in sharp contrast to the widely used locked nucleosides that locks the sugar conformation by a bridged bond between C2' and C4' atoms. The flexible nature of UNA reduces the binding affinity between two strands of siRNA molecule and gives unique characteristics to its gene-silencing abilities.