Circular RNA (circRNA), a covalently closed single-stranded RNA molecule, has rapidly gained traction in the research and discovery setting. Initially considered a result of erroneous RNA splicing since the mid-1970’s, circRNAs have subsequently demonstrated a role in a wide array of biological functions. These functions include transcriptional/translational regulators, microRNA sponges, protein scaffolds, and encoding small […]
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The structure of mRNA has been known for decades, but only in recent years have researchers unlocked its potential for therapeutic development. With the right delivery vehicle, mRNA products can replace defective proteins in the cell, generate antigens for immunization (e.g., COVID vaccines), or edit the genome via CRISPR technology. Let’s review the structural features of a […]
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Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are promising vectors for in vivo gene therapy. They can deliver a genetic payload of up to 4.7 kb and infect a wide range of cell types with virtually no pathogenicity. AAV production is a stepwise process that begins with construction of a transfer plasmid and ends with packaging of the recombinant genome into […]
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Antimicrobial resistance represents one of the major global threats to health and development. Mutations are the driving force of evolution, but their phenotype is defined by the existing molecular mechanisms inside cells. By focusing not only on the mutations that lead to adaptation, but also on those that do not, mechanisms that constrain evolution can […]
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With the emergence of cell and gene therapy and other gene editing technologies, interest in efficient and effective gene delivery systems has surged in recent years. Commonly used systems include adeno-associated viruses (AAV) and lentiviruses. While both are effective transfer vehicles, there are key differences in how they infect cells and deliver their genetic payload. Most notably, lentiviruses […]
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Basics of Synthetic DNA and Gene Synthesis Artificial DNA synthesis, a fundamental tool of synthetic biology, enables scientists to create DNA molecules of virtually any sequence without a template. Construction begins with the base-by-base synthesis of oligonucleotides (oligos), followed by assembly into double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) fragments. These custom DNA fragments can be used directly, cloned […]
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Antibodies are specialized proteins produced by the immune system that bind and neutralize foreign invaders such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), composed of unique pairs of heavy and light chains, have been widely used by researchers to target antigens with high specificity. They have various applications in the diagnosis and treatment of […]
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The strength of any display-based antibody discovery program hinges on its library. While all library types have the potential to generate antibodies with high affinity and specificity, they differ in how reliably leads generated from the screening process can be converted into viable candidates during development. The diversity (quantity of and variety between library sequences), functionality (capability […]
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