We have come so far so fast in understanding RNA interference (RNAi) and its central role in biology. Rarely has a novel mechanism in molecular genetics had such broad implications, ranging from gene therapy and drug discovery to our very understanding of what the word ‘gene’ means. Every major pharmaceutical company has a substantial effort now in RNAi technology, and among the smaller biotechnology companies RNAi is the mainstay of several, with | Meeting report RNAi for research and therapy Michael A Goldman Address Department of Biology San Francisco State University San Francisco CA 94132 USA. E-mail goldman@ Published 17 August 2004 Genome Biology 2004 5 342 The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at http 2004 5 9 342 2004 BioMed Central Ltd A report on the RNAi symposium at the Cambridge Healthtech Institute Beyond Genome Conference San Francisco USA 21-24 June 2004. We have come so far so fast in understanding RNA interference RNAi and its central role in biology. Rarely has a novel mechanism in molecular genetics had such broad implications ranging from gene therapy and drug discovery to our very understanding of what the word gene means. Every major pharmaceutical company has a substantial effort now in RNAi technology and among the smaller biotechnology companies RNAi is the mainstay of several with catchy names like Sirna Therapeutics. RNAi is the current buzzword in academic and corporate circles and it certainly captured the imagination at the RNAi symposium of Cambridge Healthtech Institute s Beyond Genome conference. This report focuses on work presented at the meeting that aims to elucidate the natural cellular role of small interfering RNA siRNA molecules and microRNAs miRNAs and some of the very exciting advances in the use of RNAi technology in drug discovery and therapeutics. It is becoming ever clearer that siRNA molecules of various sorts play roles in normal development in a wide variety of organisms. The first of this class of molecules to be discovered lin-4 in Caenorhabditis elegans is transcribed as a 61 nucleotide precursor to a 22 nucleotide miRNA that has a role in the regulation of developmental timing. Pre-miRNAs are processed by two different members of the RNase III family Drosha and Dicer explained John Rossi City of Hope National Medical Center Duarte USA . An miRNA achieves its functional state as part of
