AUMsilence V+™ Viral RNA Knockdown

AUMsilence V+™

Self-Delivering ASOs for Viral RNA Knockdown

AUMsilence V+™ is our dedicated solution for viral RNA silencing, designed to accelerate virology research and antiviral therapeutic discovery. These self-delivering antisense oligonucleotides are engineered to target viral genomes or transcripts with high precision, thereby inhibiting virus replication.

Whether you are studying HIV, influenza, coronavirus, or any RNA-based virus, AUMsilence V+ provides a fast, effective approach to silence viral genes and test their drugability. By simply treating infected cells with AUMsilence V+ oligos, researchers can achieve potent knockdown of viral RNA, leading to reduced viral protein production and replication.

Viral-Specific Design

AUMsilence V+ oligos are specifically optimized for targeting viral sequences. Our AI-driven design algorithms select regions of viral genomes that are highly conserved across strains and essential for viral function, maximizing the chances of effective inhibition. Unlike traditional antiviral compounds that target proteins, these ASOs directly target the viral genetic material.

Self-Delivery in Infected Cells

Many viruses infect cells that are difficult to transfect using conventional methods. AUMsilence V+ overcomes this barrier with its self-delivering capability. The oligos freely enter infected cells, reaching both cytoplasmic and nuclear viral replication sites without the need for transfection reagents or special formulations.

Dual-Action Mechanism

AUMsilence V+ oligos can be designed to work through two mechanisms: RNase H-mediated degradation of viral RNA (destroying the viral genome or transcripts) and/or steric blocking (physically preventing viral RNA from being translated or functioning in replication). This dual approach makes it harder for viruses to develop resistance.

Rapid Antiviral Research

With AUMsilence V+, you can rapidly test multiple viral targets in parallel to identify the most effective intervention points. This accelerates antiviral drug discovery by pinpointing essential viral genes that, when silenced, most effectively inhibit viral replication or pathogenesis.

Applications and Use Cases

Inhibition of Viral Replication

Directly target viral genomes or essential viral RNAs to prevent replication. For example, targeting the polymerase or protease genes of an RNA virus can effectively halt viral reproduction in infected cells.

Viral Gene Function Studies

Systematically knock down individual viral genes to understand their roles in the viral life cycle, host interaction, or pathogenesis. This helps identify which viral components are most critical for infection.

Validation of Antiviral Targets

Before developing small molecule drugs or other therapeutics against a viral target, use AUMsilence V+ to validate that silencing the specific viral component indeed prevents viral replication or spread.

Research on Emerging Viruses

When new viral threats emerge, AUMsilence V+ offers a rapid way to begin studying viral mechanisms and testing potential intervention strategies, even before traditional antiviral compounds are available.

AUMsilence V+ in Action - Select Published Studies

In a groundbreaking study on hepatitis B virus (HBV), researchers utilized AUMsilence V+™ sdASO™ to investigate the role of HBV X protein (HBx) in viral persistence within the host nucleus. Using AUMsilence V+™ targeting HBx, scientists demonstrated that this viral protein is essential for the establishment and maintenance of episomal HBV covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) within transcribed host nuclear chromatin compartments. The study revealed that AUMsilence V+™ achieved approximately 85% reduction in HBx expression, which led to significantly reduced episomal HBV stability in infected hepatocytes. Remarkably, the self-delivering capability of AUMsilence V+™ sdASO™ allowed efficient nuclear localization where it could directly target the viral components. Combining circular chromosome conformation capture (4C) with RNA-seq and ChIP-seq techniques, researchers discovered that HBV episomes preferentially associate with actively transcribed nuclear domains, correlating in size with topological units of chromatin. This groundbreaking research provided crucial insights into the mechanisms of HBV persistence and identified HBx as a key therapeutic target for potential curative HBV therapies, where current antiviral treatments fail to eliminate the persistent episomal cccDNA.

Reference: Hensel et al., Epigenetics & Chromatin, 2018. "Episomal HBV persistence within transcribed host nuclear chromatin compartments involves HBx."

In an innovative study on HIV-1 therapy, researchers employed AUMsilence V+™ sdASO™ to target highly conserved regions in the HIV-1 genome. The AUMsilence V+™ oligonucleotides demonstrated exceptional potency against HIV-1 replication in primary human cells, achieving viral suppression with an IC₅₀ of approximately 200 nM without requiring transfection reagents. Mechanistic studies revealed that the AUMsilence V+™ sdASO™ operated through dual mechanisms of action: RNase H1-mediated cleavage of viral RNA and steric hindrance of HIV-1 genome dimerization. Using 5'-RACE PCR and sequencing analysis, researchers confirmed the presence of RNase H1-mediated target RNA cleavage products in treated cells. The self-delivering nature of AUMsilence V+™ proved particularly valuable for targeting HIV-1 in primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), which are typically difficult to transfect using conventional methods. Importantly, no cytotoxicity or immune response was observed upon treatment, highlighting the excellent safety profile of AUMsilence V+™ sdASO™ as a potential new approach to HIV therapy.

Reference: Takahashi et al., Molecular Therapy: Nucleic Acids, 2019. "Dual Mechanisms of Action of Self-Delivering, Anti-HIV-1 FANA Oligonucleotides as a Potential New Approach to HIV Therapy."

Ready to Target Viral RNA?

Order your custom AUMsilence V+ ASOs today. Simply provide us with the viral sequence or gene you wish to target, and our AI-powered design system will create optimized oligos for maximal viral inhibition. We offer consultation on experimental design and controls to ensure your virology studies yield robust, publishable results.

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