Aachen, Germany (OTE) – Grünenthal announced today that the company
has joined the Cluster
for Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Munich (CNATM), a Munich-centred
innovation network that brings together leading universities,
research institutions, biotech companies and industry partners to
accelerate next-generation nucleic acid therapeutics into innovative
treatments that can make a meaningful difference for patients.
Joining the CNATM provides Grünenthal with a valuable platform to
strengthen its oligonucleotide drug discovery capabilities and
connect its growing internal expertise with one of Germany’s leading
academic and biotech innovation ecosystems. Over the last few years,
Grünenthal has built strategic in-house capabilities to advance
oligonucleotide modalities, including antisense oligonucleotides (
ASOs) and small interfering RNA (siRNA), as potential therapeutic
approaches for pain and related neurological indications.
One of Grünenthal’s key objectives for the collaboration is to
improve the understanding of oligonucleotide design, delivery and
cellular activity, with a particular focus on targeted delivery of
siRNA and related approaches to neuronal cells and tissues relevant
for pain, epilepsy and neurodegenerative disorders. By working
closely with CNATM partners, Grünenthal aims to leverage the
cluster’s strong academic expertise and active biotech innovation
network in Munich and across Germany to accelerate progress in this
complex and rapidly evolving field. The collaboration is also
intended to help seed innovation across the cluster, creating
scientific insights, technologies and therapeutic concepts that could
be advanced internally, through partnerships or new biotech ventures.
„We look forward to collaborating with our CNATM-partners and
connecting cutting-edge academic science with a patient-outcome-
focused industry perspective,“ says Uli Brödl, Chief Scientific
Officer at Grünenthal. „With the CNATM, we are joining a group of
like-minded experts striving to address unmet needs through
innovation, and I am delighted for our teams to advance novel
approaches with the leading members from the German and international
nucleic acid therapeutics community.“
The cooperation with the CNATM connects Grünenthal to an
innovation network comprising scientists from the Ludwig-Maximilians-
Universität Munich, the Technical University of Munich, the
universities of Regensburg and Würzburg, the Helmholtz Centre Munich
and 14 companies driving innovation in genetic medicine from the
wider Munich region.
About CNATM
The Cluster for Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Munich (CNATM) is a
Munich-centred innovation network that connects leading universities,
research institutions, biotech companies, and industry partners to
develop novel nucleic-acid-based medicines and next-generation
therapeutic approaches.
The cluster is part of the Clusters4Future initiative and has
received funding from the Bundesministerium für Forschung,
Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMFTR) (Federal Ministry of Research,
Technology and Space), underscoring its national strategic relevance.
CNATM brings together scientific strengths in nucleic acid chemistry,
biology, pharmacology, formulation, delivery, and translational
medicine to help turn modalities such as ASOs, siRNA, and related
nucleic acid technologies into more effective drugs.
More information: https://cnatm.de/en/
About Grünenthal
Grünenthal is a global leader in pain management and related
diseases. As a science-based, fully integrated pharmaceutical
company, we have a long track record of bringing innovative
treatments and state-of-the-art technologies to patients worldwide.
Our purpose is to change lives for the better – and innovation is our
passion. We focus all our activities and efforts on working towards
our vision of a World Free of Pain.
Grünenthal is headquartered in Aachen, Germany, and has
affiliates in 28 countries across Europe, Latin America, and the U.S.
Our products are available in approx. 100 countries. In 2025,
Grünenthal employed around 4,100 people and achieved revenues of Ꞓ1.8
billion.
More information: www.grunenthal.com and follow us on LinkedIn &
Instagram