Antisense Technology

The principle behind antisense technology is that an antisense nucleic acid sequence base pairs with its complementary sense RNA strand and prevents it from being translated into a protein. The oligonucleotide must be nontoxic and sufficiently specific so as not to interfere with other cellular functions. Over the years, chemical modifications of antisense oligonucleotides have not only enhanced the specificity and efficacy but also reduced the side effects.

The basic idea of antisense technology: A synthetic oligonucleotide RNA or DNA molecule complementary to a mRNA is introduced into a cell, The oligonucleotide specifically binds to the target mRNA through the exquisite specificity of complementary based pairing The binding forms an RNA dimmer in the cytoplasm and halts protein synthesis