[The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2006 for the discovery of RNA interference]

Abstract

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Andrew Fire and Craig Mello for their discovery of RNA interference, i.e. the suppression of gene activity by double-stranded RNA. Small interfering RNA molecules (siRNAs), notably the antisense strand, recognise and inhibit the corresponding mRNA, thereby silencing the appropriate gene. RNA interference can help to determine the function of genes and may assist in the development ofnew drugs. It may also lead to a better understanding of mechanisms of drug resistance. In addition, siRNAs themselves may prove to have therapeutic value as many diseases are the result of alterations in gene activity.