The Role of Antisense Oligonucleotides in Research

Oligonucleotides are key components in therapy.

Oligonucleotides are often used for research purposes and biological studies. However, they are also prevalent in the pharmaceutical industry as well.

The emergence of oligonucleotides in the world of biological research has brought new opportunities for scientists to uncover more information. There have already been breakthroughs in the medical field, as oligos serve as diagnostic testers for genetic or infectious diseases. Now, scientists aim to use oligos as a way to research and discover new drugs or treatments for a variety of diseases – many of them fatal. Furthermore, this allows researchers the ability to discover new ways for sufferers to get past all of the symptoms and associated setbacks.

Purposes

Oligos are labeled to serve as indicators when researching. They’re also used in diagnostics tests for various diseases. If it weren’t for these dual-labeled probes, many diseases would be relatively out of control and the discovery of treatments would be significantly delayed. The development of these oligos has allowed for diagnostic tests for both breast cancer and cystic fibrosis, two diseases that continue to plague the country at an alarming rate.

Antisense Therapy

Oligonucleotide therapeutics is a way for scientists to locate and treat certain diseases. Because certain antiviral agents inhibit enzymes that are crucial to transcription, they are used to develop and establish many clinically important drugs. However, it has proved to be very difficult to develop compounds with the ability to remove viruses entirely or to prevent them from integrating into the host genome. This setback has given researchers more reason to improve their antisense therapeutic methods in order to provide essential components for the progression of therapy through the use of synthetic DNA and oligonucleotides.


 

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