RNA Interference in Biotechnology and Pharmacetics Essay

RNA interference, or RNAi, is a biological process in which RNA molecules reduce the gene expression of an organism. This is done typically by causing the destruction of specific mRNA molecules. RNAs are direct products of genes, these small RNAs can bind to other mRNA molecules to either increase or decrease their activity like in the example of preventing an mRNA from producing a protein. There are two types of RNA molecules that are central to RNAi, these molecules are, micro RNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA).

Current advances in biotechnology through massively parallel sequencing, or Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), has allowed for the investigation and in-depth sequencing of the human genome particularly for the study of biological markers, translational research and genotyping. Upon discovery of cell-free DNA in maternal plasma, implementation of Non-invasive Prenatal Testing, or NIFTY/NIPT, has been actively performed throughout the globe to test for fetal chromosomal abnormalities, particularly Down’s syndrome. Detection rates of fetal aneuploidies can be done in the first and/or second trimester – as early as 4 weeks of gestation, however, most accurate results are found at 7 weeks of gestation. The high accuracy rate of detection of

Write a four to six (4 to 6) page paper on your chosen topic. Organize your

The FDA has been introduced to a new drug that is said to lower cholesterol levels, Praluent. Praluent (alirocumab) is considered to be the biggest breakout drug in lowering bad or LDL cholesterol since statin drugs. Various company experiments show that patient’s cholesterol levels fell from 46 to 60 percent, while also taking statin. Compared to statin, whose effects only lowered its patient’s cholesterol levels by 20 to 22 percent. There’s a growing conflict on whether Praluent should be approved based on it’s health benefits or should the drug be further tested to make sure the effects are long-term and effective. Praluent will mainly be graded on its effectiveness with lowering cholesterol levels (“Praluent Could Be Approved Next Week for Cholesterol”, 2015).

Gene therapy has the potential to revolutionize modern medicine. The techniques of gene therapy are still in their infancy as medical treatments and there are still many problems which must be solved before gene therapy will live up to its potential. However, it is very likely that gene therapy will become a reality at some point in the future and when that time comes, the ethical questions surrounding gene therapy will be pushed to the forefront of medicine. Science may find a way to reduce the risks associated with gene therapy but science alone cannot eliminate the serious ethical and societal risks which gene therapy brings to bear on the world. We need to put people's

Gene editing used to be a relatively painful and laborious process until the development of CRISPR. In short (and seriously abridging the complex science), CRISPR stands for “Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats” and are segments of genetic code that, paired with an enzyme such as “Cas9,” have the potential to modify the genes of nearly every organism. The development of CRISPR is to genetics what the development of word processors was to writers; I type, delete, copy, and paste words in this essay (much like what CRISPR can do with genes) elegantly on

Gene Doping is defined as using “Forbidden substances or methods to increase physical and or mental performance” (go.galegroup.com). Gene doping is banned from athletics, and very dangerous to use, mainly for the body. There are some pluses to the drug, it helps with dangerous diseases, helps people gain strength back, and also helps them become more resistant to being winded. Even though it is good for the sick, for the healthy it plays the same role but it is very dangerous because there are unknown side effects that even doctors don’t know about. Gene therapy is very important for anemia, muscular dystrophy, and peripheral vascular disease. “The therapy helps by putting more oxygen in tissues, putting more oxygen in the blood, and

Needless to say, genetic engineering in the future, may be used to further detect and learn about the disease. One way genetic engineering can be used to learn more about to detect the disease earlier is by using the cells with two types of genetic alterations responsible for the PEO mutation. A closer study of these muscle cells can help determine the abnormalities in the type of DNA that is resulted from the mitochondrial DNA trait. Another way is by using gene therapy with individuals for treatment to see if the injection of the DNA into the cell will have the resulted goal of changing the genome (NIH,

Small Interfering RNA (SiRNA) was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello, receiving the Nobel Prize in 2006 for their work. (Kaur et al, 2012) Typically SiRNA are between 21 and 23 RNA nucleotides in length. SiRNA has the ability to cause the inactivity of a genes’ expression in somatic mammalian cells; has proven to be an exceptional tool for researchers for the control of disease-causing genes and theoretical treatments of inherited diseases in the future. However siRNA can only be used once the target mRNA sequence is known. (Sioud, 2004) However due to the Human Genome Project, a large portion of the target genes have been sequenced allowing SiRNA to become more practical.

Abbott Laboratories is faced with the dilemma of an expiring drug patent and is seeking an additional indication from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its cholesterol drug Niaspan. In order to receive an indication from the FDA, a drug company must present two successful studies with the intended outcome. Niaspan has the FDA indication to raise HDL-C, reduce secondary non-fatal myocardial infarction, and regression of atherosclerosis in combination with a bile acid resin. In a recent study (cite) patients taking Niaspan demonstrated regression of atherosclerosis in combination with statin, a popular cholesterol treatment agent. Abbott is now looking to replicate the study in order to receive an

Scientists can now genetically modify cow genes to prevent them from producing specific genes that code for the production of BLG. RNA interference was used for this process, which is also known as RNAi. It is where RNA molecules inhibit certain gene expressions, stopping them from functioning by destroying mRNA molecules.

There are many organisms that use RNA (ribonucleic acid) interference, also known as RNAi to control genes, scientists can also use RNA interference as a tool in the laboratory and in the future may be able to use it as a therapy. RNA interference is described as the biological process in which RNA molecules prevent gene expression. Eukaryotic cells have many ways of controlling gene expression, as in the complex environment in a cell these mechanisms need to be precisely targeted. Small RNA molecules are used to direct gene silencing (or gene knockdown), this is called RNAi. Gene knockdown can be described as the technique used to reduce the organisms genes, this can occur through either genetic modification or treatment with a reagent

The RNA interference (RNAi) pathway is an important biological system that is utilised by many organisms as a method of regulating gene expression. But what exactly is RNAi? And what is the importance of its use and application in biology?

Many people today are often amazed by the amount of nutrition and health information required for humans. The constant stream of genetic modification of food can be confusing. Genetically modified (GM) foods are plants and animals that have had their genetic makeup artificially altered by scientists to make them grow faster, taste better, last longer and to provide more nutrients. Scientists make these alternations by transferring genes from one organism into another in order to change the condition or character of the receiving organism. This process is known as biotechnology or genetic engineering (GE), and it has revolutionized the way that agriculture is practiced in many parts of the world. Researchers are now able to use GE

Researchers have been trying to find new ways to cure disease for centuries. Gene Therapy