| Biotechnology of Small RNAs, Philip A. Sharp, Institute Professor |
|
|
|
Tuesday, March 20 2007, 5:30pm - 9:00pm |
by
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
Hits : 1250 |
|
 Fundamental experiments in 1998 indicated that an unanticipated process was present in cells that could be used to silence specific genes. This process is called RNA interference (RNAi) and its discovery has revolutionized the study of the function of genes in human cells. Small RNAs can be synthesized that specifically interact with a gene sequence and inhibit its expression. Surprisingly, over 250 new genes have been discovered in the human genome that encode small RNAs and control processes as diverse as development and cancer. We believe these RNAs control over one third of all genes expressed in human cells. Since all cells contain a pathway to inhibit a gene with small RNAs, and most diseases can be treated by changing the expression of a gene, the technology of using small RNAs as drugs to control diseases is being advanced. The major issue here is to deliver these RNAs to the disease cell. How nanoparticles and other methods are being tested for the delivery of RNAs to organs and cells in animals will be discussed. |
Location: MIT Faculty Club, 50 Memorial Drive, 6th Floor, Cambridge, MA
Contact: Susan Roman,
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
| R.s.v.p. by 5 PM on 3/16/07.
http://alum.mit.edu/smarTrans/user/Register.dyn?eventID=6697&groupID=146 |
Events 
