Merging molecular imaging and RNA interference: early experience in live animals.
The rapid development of non-invasive imaging techniques and imaging reporters coincided with the enthusiastic response that the introduction of RNA interference (RNAi) techniques created in the research community. Imaging in experimental animals provides quantitative or semi-quantitative information regarding the biodistribution of small interfering RNAs and the levels of gene interference (i.e., knockdown of the target mRNA) in living animals. In this review we give a brief summary of the first imaging findings that have potential for accelerating the development and testing of new approaches that explore RNAi as a method for achieving loss-of-function effects in vivo and as a promising therapeutic tool.
Bogdanov
Alexei A
AA
Department of Radiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655, USA. alexei.bogdanov@umassmed.edu
D000818:Animals; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D023421:Models, Animal; D015336:Molecular Probe Techniques; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering
D034741:RNA, Small Interfering