DESPITE all the excitement it has generated, RNA interference might not be a magic bullet for treating diseases after all. Two reports have come to radically different conclusions about whether the technique targets only specific genes in human cells, or accidentally hits others as well.
RNA interference (RNAi) is the ability of plant and animal cells to block a specific gene by destroying the RNA copies that spool off it. Without these copies, the protein encoded by the gene cannot be produced. A cell’s RNAi machinery can be made to target a specific gene by adding “small interfering” pieces of…
