RNA interference

An entirely new discovery has been made in recent years concerning how the flow of genetic information is directed towards the manufacture in cells of functional proteins or enzymes.  It was previously believed that RNA was no more than a “dumb messenger” carrying information from the DNA (genes) via RNA to the proteins. Regulation of the flow of information was assumed to take place either in the genes or on the proteins.  Since the year 2000 it has been discovered that a high degree of regulation of which proteins or enzymes are to be made in a cell also takes place at the RNA level.  The Nobel Prize in Medicine for 2006 was awarded for this revolutionary discovery.  Extensive research is currently being carried out aimed at using this knowledge to make new and better medicines, including for cancer treatment.

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