4 ms·

Good start, but they're overselling it a bit. The hurdles for using RNAi are 1) find one that works and 2) deliver it in a way that keeps it in working conditi

Good start, but they're overselling it a bit. The hurdles for using RNAi are 1) find one that works and 2) deliver it in a way that keeps it in working condition. No. 2 is very important as RNA is a very fragile molecule. The news talks about one particular RNAi molecule delivered in a clever protective way and they see a positive effect. That's awesome news in and of itself. Is this a general enough technique to make "every protein... druggable"? Maybe, but they don't know that yet. Do some people have an immune reaction to the particles? They didn't see any in 15 patients, so we can't be sure yet if this is a big problem, a minor problem, or not a problem at all. So let's get excited, and let's keep some perspective. The Phase II trials are the ones to watch. They don't seem to have started the process yet: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=rrm2 http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=rrm2 .

ytilibitapmoc 17y ago
I agree. Based on the data in the article, it would appear all they have done is a SAD Phase I clinical trial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_I_clinical_trials#Phase_I http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_I_clinical_trials#Phase_I).
bbgm 17y ago
Very correct. This is just the second time that RNAi has been tried in humans [1] and delivery was always the big problem. When Merck acquired SIRNA, much of the discussion was around what were the options beyond ocular delivery and while nanoparticle-based delivery was always the leader in the clubhouse, no one really knew if it would work. So, it's good to be cautious. As Derek points out in the article that's been linked to, we don't know if the therapy itself was useful at this point. Having said that, given how difficult it has been to get here, this is super cool. 1. http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2010/03/25/nanoparticles_and_rna_now_in_humans.php http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2010/03/25/nanoparticle...

ytilibitapmoc 17y ago

I agree. Based on the data in the article, it would appear all they have done is a SAD Phase I clinical trial (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_I_clinical_trials#Phase_I http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase_I_clinical_trials#Phase_I).

bbgm 17y ago

Very correct. This is just the second time that RNAi has been tried in humans [1] and delivery was always the big problem. When Merck acquired SIRNA, much of the discussion was around what were the options beyond ocular delivery and while nanoparticle-based delivery was always the leader in the clubhouse, no one really knew if it would work. So, it's good to be cautious. As Derek points out in the article that's been linked to, we don't know if the therapy itself was useful at this point. Having said that, given how difficult it has been to get here, this is super cool. 1. http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2010/03/25/nanoparticles_and_rna_now_in_humans.php http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/2010/03/25/nanoparticle...