Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Evaluation of the Efficacy And Toxicity of RNAs Targeting HIV-1 Production for Use in Gene or Drug Therapy
Published on: September 5, 2016
Prospects of RNAi and microRNA-based therapies for hepatitis C
Qiuwei Pan1, Hugo W Tilanus, Harry L A Janssen
1Erasmus MC-University Medical Centre, Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Rotterdam 3015 CE, The Netherlands. l.vanderlaan@erasmusmc.nl
Background:
RNA interference (RNAi) represents a promising new approach to combat viral infections, and recent developments in the field of gene therapy have increased the feasibility of clinical applications.
Objective:
to explore the utility of RNAi for the treatment of the ultimately life-threatening liver disease caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV), which affects approximately 170 million people worldwide.
Methods:
A review of current developments in liver-directed gene delivery and the potential application of RNAi for the treatment of HCV. In addition, the involvement of microRNAs (miRNA) in HCV infection and the potential therapeutic implications are emphasized.
Conclusions:
RNAi technologies have fuelled rapid progress in the basic understanding of HCV biology and revealed numerous new viral and host-cell factors as potential targets for therapy. Together with the improvement of gene delivery technology and the discovery of the critical role of miRNA in HCV infection, RNAi and miRNA-based antiviral strategies hold great promise for the future.
Related Concept Videos
Hepatitis
Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis
siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the ATP-dependent...
Experimental RNAi
Microorganisms in Medicine and Therapeutics
MicroRNAs
