The RNA Cure?
It is being hailed as one of the biggest advances in biology in decades, one that could eventually lead to drugs for a wide range of diseases, from cancer to diabetes to AIDS. And one startup, Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, is in a particularly strong position to transform it into new pharmaceuticals.
In 1998, scientists discovered that RNA interference (RNAi)-a natural process in which small, double-stranded RNA molecules shut down the activity of particular genes-takes place in animals. For biomedical researchers, the implications were obvious; if you could selectively block genes involved in a disease, you could, in theory at least, stop it. Founded in 2002 by some of the pioneers of RNA interference research, Alnylam aims to synthesize small RNA molecules that could become the basis for a broad class of new drugs. So far, Alnylam has focused on cancer and metabolic diseases like diabetes. Its ambitious goal is to have a drug candidate in human testing by the end of 2005.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.
And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.
OpenAI teases an amazing new generative video model called Sora
The firm is sharing Sora with a small group of safety testers but the rest of us will have to wait to learn more.
Google’s Gemini is now in everything. Here’s how you can try it out.
Gmail, Docs, and more will now come with Gemini baked in. But Europeans will have to wait before they can download the app.
This baby with a head camera helped teach an AI how kids learn language
A neural network trained on the experiences of a single young child managed to learn one of the core components of language: how to match words to the objects they represent.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.