Downregulation of protease activated receptor expression and cytokine production in P815 cells by RNA interference Sep 7, 2009
In order to further investigate the issues, RNA interference (RNAi) technique was employed and small interfering RNAs (siRNA) of PARs were transfected in P815 cells. Results. (BioMed Central)
ALS fundraiser forges ahead Sep 6, 2009
Our most recent development came with Dr. Brown coming out to UMass to join forces with Dr. Craig Mello, who won the Nobel Prize for [his work on] RNA interference. Like many others who are involved with ALS, Kennedy has been personally impacted by the illness. (Hamilton Wenham Chronicle, MA)
Alnylam loses bid to protect patent Sep 3, 2009
A federal judge in Boston said yesterday Alnylam and Max Planck were unlikely to win a lawsuit seeking to force Harvard University-affiliated Whitehead and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to disavow patent rights to RNA interference, or RNAi, that blocks the action of genes in mammals. US District Judge Patti Saris denied a request to immediately stop Whitehead and MIT from pursuing a patent related to the technology. (Boston Globe)
'Hedgehog' Pathway May Hold Key To Anti-cancer Therapy Aug 28, 2009
This research opens the possibility of new anti-cancer therapies, specifically the use of RNA interference and of Cyclopamine, a plant product known to block Hedgehog pathway activity. This and other similar molecules can now be considered for future research as a treatment for terminal patients with metastatic disease and to fight resurgent forms of the disease. (Science Daily)
Finding the Weakness in Cancer Aug 27, 2009
Fortunately, however, at about the same time a powerful technology for rapidly probing the biologic roles of genes became available in the form of RNA interference. The coming together of these two breakthroughs, which make up part of what is often referred to as "functional genomics,". (New England Journal of Medicine)
RXi Pharmaceuticals CFO leaving Aug. 28 Aug 21, 2009
RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation (Nasdaq: RXII), a biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi), today reported results for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. Tod Woolf, Ph. (Fresno Bee -- Business)
Chicken CR1 elements not repressed by Dicer Aug 20, 2009
Control of chicken CR1 retrotransposons is independent of Dicer-mediated RNA interference pathway. Sung-Hun Lee , Preethi Eldi , Soo-Young Cho and Danny Rangasamy. (BioMed Central)
New genes at work in patients with hereditary lung disease Aug 11, 2009
The work of UMMS researcher Craig Mello, PhD, an investigator of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and his colleague Andrew Fire, PhD, then of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, toward the discovery of RNA interference was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and has spawned a new and promising field of research, the global impact of which may prove astounding. The mission of the University of Massachusetts Medical School is to advance the health and... (EurekAlert!)
Alnylam's Q2 loss widens as R&D spikes Aug 10, 2009
-based biotechnology company, which focuses on RNA interference technologies, had a net loss of $22. 7 million in the second quarter ended June 30, compared with $12. (Boston Business Journal, MA)
Parasites ready to jump Aug 1, 2009
"This demonstrates", says Frstemann, "that it is not always possible to tame these "selfish" genetic elements, although highly efficient mechanisms of defence have evolved. For instance, in the germ cells, which are required for reproduction, the system of so-called piRNAs ensures that transposon activity is inhibited but only if these RNAs are transmitted from the mother. Disruption of this system usually leads to a drastic reduction in the fertility of the progeny. Germ cells are an ideal... (EurekAlert!)
EphA2-targeted therapy delivers chemo directly to ovarian cancer cells Jul 30, 2009
According to Sood, who is also co-director of both the Center for RNA Interference and Non-Coding RNA and the Blanton-Davis Ovarian Cancer Research Program at M. D. Anderson, the immunoconjugate was highly specific in delivering MMAF to the tumor cells that expressed EphA2 while showing minimal uptake in cells that did not express the protein. In the models, the therapy inhibited tumor growth in treated mice by 85 percent - 98 percent compared to control mice. (EurekAlert!)
Genetic Basis For Schizophrenia Jul 28, 2009
In this study, the authors decreased Disc1 expression using RNA interference in the developing mouse hippocampus. The loss of Disc1 resulted in hindered migration of dentate gyrus granule cells to their proper location in the brain. (Science Daily)
The Biogen fear factor Jul 17, 2009
Sharp appeared with other scientific heavyweights in a July 3 Boston Capital column about a legal fight over intellectual property rights concerning RNA interference technology. Steven Syre is a Globe columnist. (Boston Globe)
Stem Cells' 'Suspended' State Preserved By Key Step, Scientists Report Jul 11, 2009
The scientists discovered the pivotal role of Chd1 by using the powerful technique of RNA interference, or RNAi, to screen this gene and 40 other candidate genes. (RNAi is a naturally occurring process in which small RNAs bind to other RNAs to increase or decrease their activity. (Science Daily)
Cholesterol-regulating Genes Identified Jul 9, 2009
To check which genes really were involved, the scientists used a technique called RNA interference to systematically turn each of the candidate genes off. With a microscope they then observed what effect switching off different genes had, both on cholesterol uptake and on the total amount of cholesterol inside cells. (Science Daily)
Alnylam to add RNAi patents to pool Jul 9, 2009
The British drug maker and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Alnylam will contribute more than 1,500 issued or pending patents on its RNA interference technology to the patent pool established by GlaxoSmithKline earlier this year. Headquartered in Cambridge, Alnylam is seeking to use RNAi technology to do such things as silence genes whose inappropriate activity is causing diseases. (Boston Globe)
Carbohydrates 'can suppress tumours' Jul 8, 2009
The team found that when they knocked down 3GnT1 expression by RNA interference, which reduces protein expression, the amount of glycans decreased even when LARGE was overexpressed. The scientists demonstrated that 3GnT1 plays a key role in forming laminin-binding glycans attached to -DG, which in turn reduces cancer cell movement. (India Times, India)
Genome-wide Map Shows Precisely Where MicroRNAs Do Their Work Jul 7, 2009
MicroRNAs rewrote the rules of gene expression in 2001 when they were found to bind to messenger RNA and shut down protein production, a process called RNA interference. By 2006, when the Nobel Prize in medicine was given for the discovery of RNA interference, scientists around the globe had even narrowed down microRNAs primary site of action to somewhere around the end of the RNA transcript. (Science Daily)
Carbohydrate acts as tumor suppressor Jul 7, 2009
The team also found that when they knocked down 3GnT1 expression by RNA interference, which reduces protein expression, the amount of glycans decreased even when LARGE was overexpressed. The scientists demonstrated that 3GnT1 plays a key role in forming laminin-binding glycans attached to -DG, which in turn reduces cancer cell movement. (EurekAlert!)
Drug firms' suit against MIT unusual Jul 3, 2009
They are fighting over rights in a hot new biotechnology field known as RNA interference, or RNAi in scientific shorthand. RNAi technology could potentially be used to turn off genes responsible for serious diseases. (Boston Globe)
Scientists Kill Cancer Cells with "Trojan Horse" Jul 1, 2009
RNA interference, or RNAi, is designed to silence genes responsible for producing disease-causing proteins and is one of the hottest areas of biotechnology research. RNA was the basis of the 2006 Nobel Prize in medicine. (MEDLINEplus)
Transplant drug stimulates immune memory Jun 22, 2009
By using an inhibitory technique (RNA interference) on the genes known to be targeted by rapamycin, Araki was able to show that rapamycin is acting on the CD8 T cells and not on other cells with which they interact. . (EurekAlert!)
Cancer drug that won't cause hair loss Jun 5, 2009
According to lead researcher Sherry Wu, the new method which involves the use of coatings rich in fats, will hasten the application of RNA interference or gene-silencing, a technology which can inactivate individual genes. Using this technology, the team observed a 70% reduction in tumour size in a cervical cancer mouse model. (India Times, India)
CSHL researchers unravel how a protein helps nerve cells recycle synaptic vesicles Jun 3, 2009
The team made this discovery when they "knocked down" the levels of OPHN1 protein in presynaptic terminals of neurons obtained from the rat hippocampus (an important region for learning and memory) using RNA interference, a technique in which short bits of RNA are used to silence genes, in this case, OPHN1. Without OPHN1 protein, neurons fail to fire repeatedly and maintain synaptic efficiency. (EurekAlert!)
The Vulnerable Cancer Cell: New Studies Reveal Broad, Hidden Network That Lets Tumors Thrive May 30, 2009
Independent research teams led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigators D. Gary Gilliland of Brigham and Women s Hospital (now senior vice president at Merck Research Laboratories) and Stephen J. Elledge at Harvard Medical School, used RNA interference (RNAi) technology to identify a host of genes that cancer cells depend on for survival ... The RNA interference machinery grinds into action and shuts down production of the protein made from that gene. (Science Daily)
Studies home in on genes that feed tumors May 29, 2009
The studies also point to a quick and effective new way to look for ways to fight cancer, using RNA interference or RNAi, itself a hot area in biotechnology. Both teams of researchers focused on a known cancer-causing gene called KRAS. Mutations in KRAS are involved in 30 percent of cancers including leukemia, pancreatic and lung cancers. (MSNBC -- Health)
Regulation of neuronal migration May 28, 2009
We down-modulated AP-2a expression in GN-11 neurons by RNA interference and observe reduced neuron migration following the activation of a specific genetic programme including the Adhesion Related Kinase (Axl) gene. We prove that Axl is able to coordinate migration per se and by ChIP and promoter analysis we observe that its transcription is directly driven by AP-2a via the binding to one or more functional AP-2a binding sites present in its regulatory region. (BioMed Central)
Fundamental Mechanism For Cell Organization Discovered May 23, 2009
An embryo treated with RNA interference to delay the onset of cell polarization. At the beginning of the process, P granules (green) have already nearly completely dissolved throughout the embryo. (Science Daily)
Fast, Affordable Tool For Finding Gene 'On-off' Switches May 22, 2009
This process is known as RNA interference ... The new method uses a microarray technology to generate large numbers of these shRNA strands for each target gene roughly 10 times the volume of traditional methods thereby enabling researchers to screen for RNA interference much faster than before and at a minimal cost, McManus said ... The research focuses on RNA interference, or. (Science Daily)
MDRNA says test products well-tolerated' May 20, 2009
MDRNA is working on therapeutic products using RNA interference (RNAi). Reader Comments. (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)
MDRNA reports Q1 profit, stock soars May 16, 2009
Since last year, the company said it s refocused itself on RNA interference research. Having completed our transition to an RNAi drug discovery company, we feel we have emerged as a true leader in the field, said J. Michael French, president and CEO, in a statement. (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)
Old Genes Can Learn New Tricks, Horned Beetles Show May 14, 2009
To understand the effects of the three genes on horned beetle development, Moczek and Rose employed a new and promising technique, RNA interference, which disables the action of specific genes without compromising other genetic processes. Humans are only mimicking nature here; RNA interference is also a natural method of gene regulation in eukaryotes ... Moczek and Rose divided beetle larvae of both species into three treatment groups: no injection, buffer injection with nonsense RNA and buffer... (Science Daily)
CSHL scientists discover specific small RNA pathways protect germ line from transposons May 6, 2009
The cell's counter-response is a form of defense called RNA interference, in which piRNAs partner with members of the Piwi protein family called Argonaute3 (AGO3), Aubergine (Aub) and Piwi to "silence" transposons. These three proteins act as molecular "scissors" that slice up transposon RNA that their piRNA "guides" lead them to. (EurekAlert!)
Oral Delivery System For RNAi Therapeutics May 6, 2009
ScienceDaily (May 5, 2009) Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) report April 28 on a novel approach to the delivery of small bits of genetic material in order to silence genes using "RNA interference" and in the process, discovered a potent method of suppressing inflammation in mice similar to what occurs in a range of human diseases ... Highly specific and highly potent, "RNA interference" or "RNAi" has become both a crucial laboratory technique and widely... (Science Daily)
Nanotechnology holds promise for STD drug delivery May 4, 2009
"RNA interference is a promising approach for prevention and treatment of human disease," said lead author , Yale postdoctoral fellow in Yale's. "We wanted to develop a new strategy of delivering siRNAs with a FDA-approved material.". (EurekAlert!)
New Understanding Of Dengue Virus Points Way To Possible Therapies For Dengue Fever May 1, 2009
Garcia-Blanco, who is also professor of emerging infectious diseases at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore, used RNA interference (RNAi) to unlock dengue's secrets. RNA interference is a normal biological process cells use to turn gene expression on or off depending upon which gene products, or proteins, are needed at any given moment. (Science Daily)
Goodman to leave Pfizer biotech unit May 1, 2009
The CEO is trying to rebuild the old-line pharmaceutical company s drug pipeline especially with the company s top-selling drug, cholesterol-fighting Lipitor, losing its patent protection after 2011 and innovative drug technologies and therapies like stem cells and RNA interference are key to Kindler s plan. Pfizer put Goodman in charge of Rinat Neuroscience, which Pfizer bought in 2006, and brought acquisitions LLC of La Jolla and Coley Pharmaceutical Group in Massachusetts under the BBC... (San Francisco Business Times, CA)
Gene-laden Bubbles Grow New Blood Vessels Apr 30, 2009
21, 2007) Three years ago Mark Kay, MD, PhD, published the first results showing that a biological phenomenon called RNA interference could be an effective gene therapy technique. Since then he has used RNAi. (Science Daily)
Alnylam, Isis in drug collaboration Apr 30, 2009
RNA interference is a naturally occurring mechanism within cells for selectively silencing and regulating specific genes. Since many diseases are caused by the inappropriate activity of specific cells, the ability to silence genes selectively through RNAi is thought to have great potential. (Boston Globe)
Nobel Laureates to Speak at Keystone Symposia RNA Silencing Conference Apr 18, 2009
Andrew Fire of Stanford University will deliver a keynote address on the evening of April 25 on "Adventures in the Small RNA-ome." On Monday morning, April 27, Craig Mello of the University of Massachusetts Medical School will present on "Complexity of RNA Silencing in C. elegans." Both scientists shared the 2006 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their pioneering work discovering how certain RNA molecules can be used to turn off specific genes in animal cells - a phenomenon known as RNA interference,... (PR Newswire)
Cequent tkRNAi Technology to be Presented at the Centennial Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research Apr 16, 2009
April 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Cequent Pharmaceuticals, a pioneer in the development of novel products to deliver RNAi-based treatments to prevent and treat human disease, announced that the company's TransKingdom RNA interference (tkRNAi) technology will be the focus of three poster sessions featuring late-breaking research at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting ... Sunday, April 19 Characterization of a Multiple Hairpin Expression Construct for TransKingdom RNA Interference... (PR Newswire)
Biomarker Associated With Poor Outcome In Aggressive Childhood Cancer Apr 15, 2009
"While some of these aggressive tumors exhibit increased expression of the MYCN oncogene, little is known about the other genetic factors that control neuroblastoma progression." Dr. Bernards and colleagues performed a genome-wide RNA interference screen to search for additional components of the RA signaling pathway that might be linked to neuroblastoma. The researchers identified ZNF423 as a critical cofactor of RA-induced differentiation. (Science Daily)
New Therapeutic Strategy Could Target Toxic Protein In Most Patients With Huntington's Disease Apr 13, 2009
Zamore studies how RNA interference can be used to silence genes selectively. In the 1990s, he and other scientists learned they could shut down the production of specific proteins by introducing double-stranded RNA into the cell that is identical to the RNA they wanted to turn off. (Science Daily)
CSHL-led team identifies key decision-point at which cells with broken DNA repair themselves or die Apr 11, 2009
When EYA was experimentally "knocked out" via a technique called RNA interference, or RNAi, damaged cells with double-stranded DNA breaks did not repair themselves; instead, they simply died -- underwent apoptosis. As is often the case in science, multiple labs are engaged on related subjects. (EurekAlert!)
CSHL researchers explain process by which cells 'hide' potentially dangerous DNA segments Apr 10, 2009
In fission yeast, a model system used for studying heterochromatin mechanisms because of its comparative simplicity, the precise pattern of methylation depends on a process called RNA interference, or RNAi. It involves a host of players: the enzyme that copies DNA into RNA, which is diced into short segments called short interfering RNAs, or siRNAs; a part of the RNAi machinery known as the RITS complex; and various enzymes that are able to alter the configuration of chromatin. (EurekAlert!)
Alzheimer's Disease Linked To Mitochondrial Damage Apr 5, 2009
To confirm this hypothesis, the scientists showed that RNA interference to knock down Drp1 or a mutation that prevented Drp1 activity inhibited excess mitochondrial fragmentation and protected the neurons. Finally, the researchers showed that a mutated Drp1, lacking the nitrosylation site, did not induce mitochondrial fragmentation and also prevented neuronal damage. (Science Daily)
Evidence of a tick RNAi pathway by comparative genomics and reverse genetics screen of targets with known loss-of-function phenotypes in Drosophila Mar 27, 2009
With the availability of sequence reads from the first Chelicerate genome project (the Ixodes scapularis tick) and extensive R. microplus ESTs, we investigated evidence for putative RNAi proteins and studied RNA interference in tick cell cultures and adult female ticks targeting Drosophila homologues with known cell viability phenotype. Results. (BioMed Central)
MDRNA loses $12.3M in Q4 Mar 25, 2009
Since then the company has refocused itself on RNA interference research. Company officials said they ended fiscal 2008 with $3. (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)
Gene therapy shows early promise for treating obesity Mar 10, 2009
"The gene was active in the overweight mice, but as they lost weight the gene expression was essentially 'dialed down,' using a novel RNA interference approach, thus stopping the weight from continuing to decrease and allowing a stable target weight to be reached," she says. During indicated that with the initial results showing great promise, the next step is to obtain the necessary FDA approvals to begin studying the therapy in humans at OSU Medical Center and other centers around the country. (EurekAlert!)
200,000 rice mutants available worldwide for scientific investigation Mar 5, 2009
Dr. Andy Pereira, Professor at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, stated: "The Oryza sativa genome was sequenced in 2002 and researchers have come a long way since. Advances in technologies such as high-throughput sequencing and RNA interference gene silencing methods should help to accelerate the process of identifying the functions of the remaining genes in the rice genome." He added: "The availability of the rice mutant resource is already helping researchers in their quest to gain... (EurekAlert!)
Protein function and chromatin structure methods featured in Cold Spring Harbor Protocols Mar 4, 2009
The speed of small-molecule binding makes it an attractive alternative to studying gene function using RNA interference (RNAi). The method is freely accessible on the website for Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (). (EurekAlert!)
Scientists at CSHL discover mobile small RNAs that set up leaf patterning in plants Mar 1, 2009
Like microRNAs and endogenous siRNAs present in other organisms, they regulate gene activity via a mechanism called RNA interference. Because of their newly discovered properties in leaf patterning, Timmermans likens the ta-siRNAs to "morphogens" or form-generating substances. (EurekAlert!)
How Mosquitoes Survive Dengue Virus Infection Feb 24, 2009
The researchers show that RNA interference the mosquito immune response -- is initiated immediately after they ingest blood containing dengue virus, but the virus multiplies in the mosquitoes nevertheless ... RNA interference is an evolutionarily ancient antiviral defense used by mosquitoes and other invertebrates to destroy the RNA of many invading arthropod-borne viruses ... This team of researchers previously showed that ramping up the RNA interference response in mosquitoes prevented dengue... (Science Daily)
Tekmira Presents Data Demonstrating Further Increases in SNALP Potency Feb 24, 2009
Improvements in therapeutic index have the potential to broaden the therapeutic applications for Tekmira's SNALP technology in the RNA interference (RNAi) field. ADVERTISEMENT. (CCNMatthews Press Releases)
A New Gene Silencing Platform -- Silence Is Golden Feb 19, 2009
23, 2008) RNA interference represents an innovative new strategy for using small RNA molecules to silence specific genes associated with disease processes, and a series of review articles describing the ... 16, 2006) Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center say they have jumped a significant hurdle in the use of RNA interference (RNAi), believed by many to be the ultimate tool to both ... 20, 2003) RNA interference (RNAi) has emerged as an extremely versatile and... (Science Daily)
Link Between Control Of Chromosome Duplication And Segregation Discovered Feb 18, 2009
To investigate which of the ORC proteins limit centrosome copying, Stillman and co-investigators Adriana Hemerly, Supriya Prasanth and Khalid Siddiqui, used RNA interference, or RNAi, a technique that uses small pieces of RNA to shut off specific genes. They blocked the production of each of the proteins that combine to form ORC in human cells. (Science Daily)
MDRNA makes deal with Roche, stock soars Feb 14, 2009
MDRNA makes biotech products based on RNA interference. Reader Comments. (Puget Sound Business Journal, WA)
How 'Companion' Cells To Sperm Protect Them From Genetic Damage Feb 10, 2009
There, they inactivate or "silence" transposon DNA via a phenomenon known as RNA interference. "The companion cell is thus a completely selfless, altruistic cell," says R. Keith Slotkin Ph. (Science Daily)
RNAi Gateway Feb 8, 2009
Home : RNA interference ... From humble beginnings as an obscure phenomenon in plants, RNA interference (RNAi) has evolved into an area of significant impact in numerous fields. (Nature News Service)
Genetics podcast Feb 8, 2009
RNA interference (RNAi) is a form of post-transcriptional gene silencing in which double-stranded RNA induces degradation of the homologous endogenous transcripts, mimicking the effect of the reduction, or loss, of gene activity. through the process of RNA interference. (Nature News Service)
In Time, Cream Might Prevent Herpes Transmission Feb 7, 2009
The treatment uses RNA interference (RNAi) to fight the virus in two ways: by disabling its ability to replicate and by blocking the host cell's ability to take up the virus. In mice, the treatment is effective when used from one week before to a few hours after exposure to the herpes virus. (MEDLINEplus)
Low Levels of 2 Enzymes in Ovarian Cancer Cells Shortened Survival Feb 7, 2009
RNA interference molecules help regulate gene expression ... The two enzymes examined in this study, Dicer (so named because it dices up RNA) and Drosha, are involved in two types of RNA interference ... So-called "RNA interference therapies" are coming closer to realization, Sood noted. (MEDLINEplus)
