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Updated: Jun 27, 2026

Dual CRISPR-Interference Strategy for Targeting Synthetic Lethal Interactions Between Non-Coding RNAs in Cancer Cells
Published on: May 30, 2025
RNA interference (RNAi) patents and human health related applications of RNAi
1Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada. ebhardt@ualberta.ca
Abstract:
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2006 was shared by A.Z. Fire and C.C. Mello. The honour was given to these two principal investigators for demonstrating in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans that double stranded RNA directs cleavage of messenger RNAs (mRNA) in a homologous manner. This process was termed RNA interference (RNAi) and was published in 1998. Since then, further research revealed that small 21-22 nts long RNAs guide an RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) to a target mRNA causing translational inhibition or mRNA cleavage. This review will focus on RNAi patents, delivery of RNAi to combat human disease and reviewing some recent applications regarding detection and possible cure of human diseases using RNAi.
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RNA Interference
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
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RNA...

