Small interfering RNA technology in pancreatic ductal epithelial cells: future cancer therapy

Firstly, we have to thank the Nobel Prize winners of Physiology or Medicine 2006, Drs. Andrew Fire at Stanford University and Craig Mello at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, for their pioneering work in RNA interference (RNAi). Without their discovery, we may not have been able to understand the role of RNAs in regulating gene expression today. RNAi is a process that is initiated by the introduction of RNA into a cell and ends with the degradation of complementary messenger RNA, thus stopping or otherwise affecting gene expression. In this review, we will describe the mechanisms involved in the processing of the RNA and how gene expression can be regulated. Since its discovery, RNAi has been widely studied and therapeutic investigations are ongoing. It is becoming increasingly apparent that RNAi has potential for cancer treatment in the future. This review focuses on the evolving development of the RNAi technique in plants, worms, fruit flies, and mammalian cells and particular attention is...