Roche Exits RNAi Field, Cuts 4800 Jobs

摘要

The Swiss drug company Roche announced last week that it is stepping away from research in RNA interference (RNAi), a popular approach to medical therapies and one that Roche has poured more than $400 million into over 3 years. The decision is part of a plan to reduce Roche's workforce by 6%, or 4800 people. Although it's not unusual to see contractions in big pharma, Roche's decision to abandon work in RNAi is striking because the field has gotten much attention. The technique, which earned a Nobel Prize in 2006 (and Science's Breakthrough of the Year in 2002), involves using tiny RNA molecules to shut down specific genes. But getting them to diseased tissues in the proper dose has challenged scientists. The field is "fascinating, but unfortunately this delivery point is a hurdle," says Claudia Schmitt, a Roche spokesperson.