Joe and everyone,
Safety concerns raised over RNA interference
Simon Frantz
High doses kill mice, but researchers maintain
confidence in gene-silencing method
Warnings: As more is understood about the gene-silencing
capabilities of RNA interference, more issues are being raised
about potential safety (snip)
I am curious what people on SANET think of therapeutic use of RNAi (as
opposed to constitutive use of transgenes to perform gene-silencing).
In RNAi therapy, double-stranded RNA is introduced. This engages very
powerful, primordial anti-viral mechanisms in the animal or plant,
which suppress expression of homologous or near-homogous RNA. This can
be used to "knock-down" genes that are normally expressed in the plant
or animal. Here is an explanation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNA_interference
RNAi is probably the most exciting thing going on in biology. Aside
from being a great research tool, RNAi may hold the key to a cure for
AIDS, and many other problems. It is not necessarily a germ line
(heritable) intervention, but can be used therapeutically. It blurs
the line between pharmaceuticals and genetic engineering.
Dale
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