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News Release 06-086
Gold Nanoparticles Could Improve Antisense Cancer Drugs
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As illustrated in the upper half of this diagram, the genetic information for constructing a single protein molecule is first transfered from the DNA double helix into a molecule of RNA, and the RNA is then used by the cell as a working blueprint. However, when a gold nanoparticle carries antisense DNA into the cell, the antisense strands bind to the RNA molecules and take them out of circulation. The result: little or no new protein.
Credit: Fujigaya Tsuyohiko, Nathaniel Rosi, and David Giljohann, Northwestern University
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