Taking RNAi from interesting science to impactful new treatments
May 13, 2024 · Caption: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals is translating the promise of RNA interference (RNAi) research into a new class of powerful, gene-based therapies. In this rendering, the green strand is the targeted mRNA, and the white object is the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) that can prevent the expression of the target mRNA’s proteins.
Explained: RNA interference | MIT News | Massachusetts Institute …
Nov 12, 2009 · Through a naturally occurring phenomenon known as RNA interference, short strands of RNA can selectively intercept and destroy messenger RNA before it delivers its instructions. Scientists are now pursuing disease treatments based on RNA interference (RNAi), which offers the tantalizing ability to shut down any gene in the body. “With RNAi ...
MIT engineers design more powerful RNA vaccines - MIT News
Sep 7, 2023 · By tweaking the design of the vaccines, the researchers showed that they could generate Covid-19 RNA vaccines that produce a stronger immune response, at a lower dose, in mice. Adjuvants are molecules commonly used to increase the immune response to vaccines, but they haven’t yet been used in RNA vaccines. In this study, the MIT researchers ...
Convenience-sized RNA editing - MIT News
May 31, 2022 · The discovery of Cas7-11 opened the doors to a more precise form of RNA editing, analogous to the Cas9 enzyme for DNA. However, the massive Cas7-11 protein was too big to fit inside a single viral vector — the empty shell of a virus that researchers typically use to deliver gene editing machinery into patient’s cells. Structural insight.
Engineers create an inhalable form of messenger RNA - MIT News
Jan 4, 2019 · Messenger RNA, which can induce cells to produce therapeutic proteins, holds great promise for treating a variety of diseases. The biggest obstacle to this approach so far has been finding safe and efficient ways to deliver mRNA molecules to the target cells.
New programmable gene editing proteins found outside of
Sep 15, 2021 · For example, CRISPR enzymes naturally use an RNA guide to target viral invaders, but biologists can direct Cas9 to any target by generating their own RNA guide. “It's so easy to just change a guide sequence and set a new target,” says Soumya Kannan, MIT graduate student in biological engineering and co-first author of the paper.
Researchers uncover a new CRISPR-like system in animals that
Jun 28, 2023 · Researchers have discovered the first programmable RNA-guided system discovered in eukaryotes. The technology, known as Fanzor, has the potential to be more easily delivered to cells and tissues than CRISPR-Cas systems, and further refinements could make them a valuable new technology for human genome editing.
3 Questions: Phillip Sharp on the discoveries that enabled ... - MIT …
Dec 11, 2020 · Messenger RNA vaccines have several benefits compared to other types of vaccines, including the use of noninfectious elements and shorter manufacturing times. The process can be scaled up, making vaccine development faster than traditional methods. RNA vaccines can also be moved rapidly into clinical trials, which is critical for the next pandemic.
An emerging view of RNA transcription and splicing - MIT News
Aug 9, 2019 · Then, specific chemical modifications to RNA polymerase II allow it to begin transcribing DNA into RNA. This shift from so-called transcription initiation to active transcription also involves another important molecular transition: As RNA molecules begin to grow, the splicing apparatus must also move in and carry out its job.
Unlocking mRNA’s cancer-fighting potential - MIT News
Mar 27, 2024 · Many people believe the technology behind some Covid-19 vaccines, messenger RNA, holds great promise for stimulating immune responses to cancer. But using messenger RNA, or mRNA, to get the immune system to mount a prolonged and aggressive attack on cancer cells — while leaving healthy cells alone — has been a major challenge.