Designing therapeutic siRNAs

Short Interfering RNA (siRNA) has come of age to unleash its full potential as a potent therapeutic. The onset of a series of FDA approvals of the siRNA medication targeting rare, previously untreatable genetic disorders and several other promising drug candidates in clinical trials have established the RNA Interference (RNAi) technology in the therapeutic realms. Designing a highly effective siRNA is one of the critical challenges of its downstream usage as a potential drug. Continue reading Designing therapeutic siRNAs

Biochemical SocietyOctober 4, 2021October 1, 2021Leave a comment

Policy, Research

Prime editing – a cutting edge new development in genomic engineering

Most biologists would agree that the most extraordinary development of the 21st century has been the discovery and manipulation of the CRISPR/Cas9 method of gene editing – a natural defence mechanism that bacteria use to defend against viral infection which scientists have hijacked to modify the DNA sequence of living cells. Continue reading Prime editing – a cutting edge new development in genomic engineering

Biochemical SocietyFebruary 3, 2020May 26, 2020Leave a comment

Biochemical Society, Education & careers, Events, Journal content, Science communication & public engagement

An introduction to gene editing

shutterstock_370835885 — CRISPR-CaS9 gene editing complex from Streptococcus pyogenes. The CaS9 nuclease protein uses a guide RNA sequence to cut DNA at a complementary site.

By Anastasia Stefanidou, Communications Officer, Biochemical Society

Gene editing and the use of CRISPR to fix genetic disease in human embryos seem to be all over the news these days.

It has just been reported that a team of American and South Korean scientists have successfully used CRISPR, a tool that cuts DNA with more precision than any other genome editing technology, to fix a genetic defect in human embryos that can cause serious heart problems. Continue reading “An introduction to gene editing”