BerGenBio: Controlling Interference

Conventional RNAi methods can neither control nor vary the extent to which a protein's expression is blocked, and so provide only rough insights into target function at one level of inhibition. BerGenBio A/S says its CellSelectRNAi technology can vary the extent of target knockdown across a selected range to study how cellular and animal models of disease respond to differing levels of target inhibition. The technology enables dose-dependent shRNA studies in vitro for target identification and validation, as well as dose-finding prior to Phase I.

CellSelectRNAi relies on functional genomics to identify a series of shRNA molecules, each of which knocks down expression of the target gene to a different level. The series provides a genetic dose-response profile of the target that mimics the effects of a drug delivered at varying doses...