Micro-RNA helps target genetically modified viruses to cancer cells more precisely

Intracellular micro-RNA molecules regulate the stability of coding RNA in various cell types, and this relatively recently understood mechanism allows inactivating intracellular processes with high specificity. British scientists from Oxford University together with the staff of the Free University of Amsterdam reported that the mechanism of action of micro-RNA can also be used to regulate the spread of "therapeutic" viruses.

Weakened viruses are widely used as vaccines against measles, mumps, polio, influenza, chickenpox and other diseases. In biomedicine, especially in the field of cancer gene therapy, the possibility of using genetically modified adenoviruses is being actively studied. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of using adenoviruses to deliver therapeutic genes is liver disease, which has been shown in mice. Professor Len Seymour and colleagues discovered that the introduction of DNA sections recognized by the liver cell-specific micro-RNA 122 (miR-122) into the viral genome leads to degradation of the viral coding RNA in the liver. Thus, the ability of the virus to replicate in cancer cells and destroy them is preserved, but the adverse effect on the liver is reduced.

The present study is mainly intended to demonstrate the potential of using the micro-RNA mechanism to regulate viral activity. The authors of the study believe that this technology will help both in practical cancer therapy and in the study of the mechanisms involved, and will also create a new generation of "controlled" vaccines.

Article by Cawood R et al. Use of Tissue-Specific microRNA to Control the Pathology of Wild-Type Adenovirus without Attention of Its Ability to Kill Cancer Cells is published in PLoS Pathogens.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru According to ScienceDaily: Virus Tamed To Destroy Cancer Cells But Leave Healthy Cells Unharmed25.05.2009