With the increased prevalence of diseases that have defied cures for ages such as
cancer and neurodegenerative diseases as well as the resurgence of drug-resistant
microbial or viral pathogens, there is an urgent need to develop innovative and
efficacious therapies. One such modality is genetic therapy, which has acquired
momentum following the identification of multiple genes, whose disruption
predisposes to various human disorders. Though the exact mechanisms through
which these alterations cause the disorders are still being deciphered,
pharmaceutical industries have increasingly been focusing on molecular
interactions or signaling initiated by the gene products for target-based drug
discovery. This is also the case for virally induced immune disorders like AIDS,
whose infectious agent HIV has been extensively characterized at the molecular
level. Previously, to abrogate the propagation of cancer cells, modified
nucleosides have been administered to interfere with DNA replication. Likewise,
for HIV, nucleoside analogs have been used to inhibit reverse transcriptase
essential for its replication. Nevertheless, the present inability to treat recurrent
cancers or eliminate the viruses calls for the need to develop alternative strategies.
Against this backdrop, the potential use of oligonucleotides as therapeutics is
increasingly being explored.
For further information you may download our handbook Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Handbook.pdf
For further information you may download our handbook Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Handbook.pdf