Cells' disease machinery silenced

Scientists are working on a breakthrough technology that will silence RNA. They believe that silencing this genetic material in cells will play an important role in disease.

At the moment, the scientists have cut monkeys' cholesterol levels by silencing strands of RNA in the liver that control metabolism. They are aiming their research to develop a treatment for Hepatitis C rather than high cholesterol. The scientists believe that this technique could ultimately be used to treat diseases like cancer, cardiac disease, and diabetes.

The treatment is based on the idea of silencing certain types of RNA which is believed to be the main regulator of the cell. Specific types of RNA have been associated with different diseases and silencing them could prove to be an effective treatment and possibly a cure.

However, the side-effects of silencing RNA remain unknown. At the moment, silencing RNA seems like a revolutionary treatment for may different.