Oligonucleotides and You

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You should pay attention to the basic building blocks of biotechnology - you'll be far better placed to determine hype from important breakthrough. With that in mind, have a look at this NYAS overview: "novel drugs made from short nucleic acid segments, or oligonucleotides, can target DNA and RNA to inactivate genes involved in causing disease. ... Some of these oligonucleotides have the ability to stimulate the immune system [and] could be employed against cancer, viral diseases, or as immune system boosters for vaccines or chemotherapeutics. Perhaps the most important discovery to affect the development of oligonucleotide therapeutics has been that of RNA interference (RNAi), a mechanism by which RNA inhibits gene expression. ... small 21- to 23-nucleotide double-stranded RNAs called short interfering RNAs (siRNA) [are] capable of knocking down specific gene expression to a few percent of its original level. ... Therapeutics based on siRNA are also being developed as treatments for age-related macular degeneration, respiratory syncytial virus infection, hepatitis C, and HIV infections." Perhaps most interestingly, given the prominent role of HCMV in the age-related decay of our immune systems, "RNAs known as ribozymes can inactivate viruses such as human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)."

Link: http://www.nyas.org/ebriefreps/main.asp?intSubsectionID=4258