Silent running: the race to the clinic

摘要

Silence is golden — at least, that's what two US biotechnology companies are hoping. They aim to reap the rewards of bringing a method for silencing genes into the clinic, where they claim it could lead to treatments for everything from viral diseases to cancer. The technique, known as RNA interference or RNAi, could offer a safe and effective way of turning off a gene. And, although it is early days, many see it as a likely moneyspinner for the biotechnology industry.