New technology creates new targets for RNA therapy

Selectively open human cell gene therapy

New technology creates new targets for RNA therapy

Selectively open human cell gene therapy Selectively open human cell gene therapy Selectively open human cell gene therapyNew technology creates new targets for RNA therapy New technology creates new targets for RNA therapy

Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, October 31 (Reporter Mengran Zhang) According to a paper recently published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, a new method designed by American researchers can selectively turn on genes in target cells (including human cells) Therapy
.

Their technology detects specific messenger RNA (mRNA) sequences in cells and triggers the production of specific proteins from transgenes or artificial genes

Genetically modified

Because transgenes are dangerous when expressed in the wrong cells, scientists have been hoping to find a way to reduce the off-target effects of gene therapy
.

One way to distinguish between different types of cells is to read their internal RNA sequences

Genetically modified

The new technology developed by researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University is called eToeholds, which is a small multifunctional device built into RNA.
Only when cell-specific or viral RNA is present, the linked protein coding sequence can be expressed
.

eToeholds devices provide multiple opportunities for more targeted RNA therapy, in vitro cell and tissue engineering methods, and perception of various biological threats from humans and other higher organisms

Researchers have used this technique to find a foothold that can detect various triggers in human and yeast cells
.

Studies have shown that they can detect mRNA encoding viral genes from Zika virus and new coronavirus

They also designed a foothold molecule that can detect mRNA that naturally produces proteins in human cells, which helps reveal the state of the cell
.

For example, studies have shown that they can detect the expression of heat shock proteins, which are produced when cells are exposed to high temperatures

The study also shows that researchers can identify cancer cells by detecting the foothold of tyrosinase mRNA through eToeholds, an enzyme that produces excess melanin in melanoma cells
.

This target allows researchers to design systems to identify cancer cells and produce toxic proteins in these cells, killing them in the process, which may create new therapies to destroy tumors