University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers have developed a “two-in-one” molecule that can simultaneously turn off two notoriously difficult-to-target cancer-related genes, KRAS and MYC, as well as directly deliver drugs to tumors that express these genes. This advance holds special promise for treating cancers that have been historically challenging to treat.
The new technology incorporates novel compositions of inverted RNAi molecules that have shown a marked ability to co-silence mutated KRAS and over-expressed MYC. RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular process that uses small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to selectively turn off, or silence, mutated genes. The co-silencing resulted in up to a 40-fold improvement in inhibition of cancer cell viability compared to the use of individual siRNAs.
The laboratory findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation on July 31.
