Exploring the sounds of silence: RNAi-mediated gene silencing for target identification and validation.
Drug development begins with the identification and early preclinical validation of novel biological targets, a process often called 'target identification and validation'. This process usually uses various approaches, such as observations from literature and findings from animal or clinical studies, together with cutting edge molecular techniques that include analyses of gene and protein expression, interaction and function. The publication of the human genome has increased research in gene and protein expression analysis that, in combination with RNA interference technology, promises the evaluation of novel functions for known genes, as well as hitherto unknown or unstudied genes with functions relevant to disease.
Chatterjee-Kishore
Moitreyee
M
Biological Technologies, Wyeth Research, 87 Cambridge Park Drive, Cambridge, MA 02140, USA. mkishore@wyeth.com
Miller
Christopher P
CP
D015195:Drug Design; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015723:Gene Library; D005821:Genetic Techniques; D015894:Genome, Human; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D014162:Transfection / Q000379:methods
D034741:RNA, Small Interfering