Scientists described in a latest publication of their research how they have manipulated a process that occurs naturally throughout the human body into a
potential therapy that could herald the introduction of fast and effective treatments for cancer and viruses. They called it
RNA interference which is a process that blocks the production of proteins that creates cancer and viruses. A short interfering RNA, or siRNA, was created some years before and developed into drugs that were used to fight viruses and cancer. The scientists have taken this study a step further and worked out how they can create siRNA with different cellular properties to target different diseases.
There have been previous studies that had demonstrated siRNA's potential to be a potent anti-cancer and
anti-viral agent, but siRNA-based drugs could cause a dangerous inflammatory response. But the scientists have now discovered that the physical structure of siRNA is a key to creating effective anti-cancer and anti-viral drugs, which will allow both the development of siRNA-based drugs to react differently for different diseases. The research is still at an early stage but human trials using siRNA are currently underway in the United Stated and some European countries.
