AACHEN, Germany, July 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 €1.8 billion.
More information: www.grunenthal.com and follow us on LinkedIn & Instagram
For further information, please contact:
Christopher Jansen,
Global Communications at Grünenthal,
christopher.jansen@grunenthal.com
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