Advances in: Genomics

摘要

Every few years, a revolutionary technology emerges that fundamentally changes life scientists' ability to undertake research and development and to apply their findings. The emergence of gene silencing represents a recent example of the phenomenon. Otherwise known as RNA interference (RNAi) or short interfering RNA (siRNA), this is a biological process that suppresses the expression of active genes in living cells. During the past four years it has taken the world of life science by storm. "To say that siRNA is growing rapidly is an understatement," says Spyro Mousses, head of cancer drug development at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). "The siRNA field is growing exponentially," agrees Becky Mullinax, senior staff scientist at Stratagene. "Scientists have needed this tool for a long time."