Free Republic

US scientists have created a nanoparticle drug that acts like a stealth bomber to smuggle its RNA-interfering payload past the body's defence systems and drop it on to cancer cells. It is, say the researchers, the first example of a nanoparticle that can seek out its target after being injected into the bloodstream and paves the way for the selective targeting of cells and tissues in the body while causing only little   'collateral damage' in the form of side effects. "This is the first proof of concept that RNA interference can occur in a human from delivered siRNA" - Mark...

It's the first time the argonaute protein has been seen bound to both target and guide strands.Science A picture of a bacterial protein complex that selects and slices up RNA molecules, thereby silencing genes, provides fresh insight into the process of RNA interference (RNAi), researchers say. The structure is the first to capture the so-called argonaute protein when it is bound to both the genetic template that guides it to its RNA target, and the target strand of RNA itself.Researchers use RNAi to block expression of selected genes, and some hope that it can be used to fight diseases....