7.344 RNA Interference: A New Tool for Genetic Analysis and Therapeutics, Fall 2004
Author(s)
Kissler, Stephane
Ventura, Andrea
Alternative Title
RNA Interference: A New Tool for Genetic Analysis and Therapeutics
Date Issued
December 2004
Abstract
This course is one of many Advanced Undergraduate Seminars offered by the Biology Department at MIT. These seminars are tailored for students with an interest in using primary research literature to discuss and learn about current biological research in a highly interactive setting. To understand and treat any disease with a genetic basis or predisposition, scientists and clinicians need effective ways of manipulating the levels of genes and gene products. Conventional methods for the genetic modification of many experimental organisms are technically demanding and time consuming. Just over 5 years ago, a new mechanism of gene-silencing, termed RNA interference (RNAi), was discovered. In addition to being a fascinating biological process, RNAi provides a revolutionary technology that has already changed the way biomedical research is done and that may even prove useful for genetic interventions in a clinical context. In this course, students learn how RNAi was discovered, how it works, and what its physiological relevance might be. How RNAi can be harnessed to modulate gene expression and perform genetic screens, both in cells and in various organisms is also covered. Finally, this course examines the first attempts to use RNAi for the treatment of models of human diseases in experimental animals.
Subjects
RNA interference
RNAi
RNA
genetic analysis
gene therapy
gene products
gene silencing
gene expression
human disease models
mRNA
genetic interference
short interfering RNA
siRNAs
expression vectors
RNA sequences
nucleotide fragments
microRNA
mRNA degradation
transgenic mice
lentivirus
knock-down animals
tissue specificity
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
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