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A major scientific advance in the last decade was the recognition that small segments of double-stranded RNA can cause sequence-specific degradation of homologous messenger RNA and thus interfere with gene expression. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) have been shown to block both HIV and hepatitis C virus replication in vitro (see Journal Watch Infectious Diseases Feb 21 2003). Now, two groups have shown that siRNAs can protect against and treat influenza virus infection in mice.
Ge and colleagues found that they could introduce siRNAs into mouse lung tissue by intravenously injecting siRNAs mixed with polyethyleneimine, a polycation carrier molecule that promotes cellular uptake of DNA. The slow infusion of small amounts of siRNAs specific f…