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The Dangers of Mirrored Life

Codon

DNA and RNA molecules are also built from exclusively right-handed nucleic acids. Across the tree of life, organisms strictly require exactly one of the two chiral forms of their molecular building blocks — amino acids, nucleotides of RNA and DNA. 4 As far as we know, right-handed proteins never occur naturally.

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Experimental Myotonic Dystrophy Treatment Teams Monoclonal Antibody and siRNA

PLOS: DNA Science

Now Avidity Biosciences has developed a candidate drug that weds a monoclonal antibody (MAb) to a short piece of RNA – a small interfering RNA (siRNA). This novel class of RNA therapeutics is called Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs™). Synthesizing a bit of RNA, Levin writes, is the simple part.

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Beyond Steel Tanks

Codon

Water accounts for 70 percent of a bacterium by mass; the other 30 percent includes everything else: proteins, RNA, DNA, lipids, and so on. And given that RNA and lipid nanoparticle synthesis is highly efficient compared to typical bioproduction, it’s likely that the company could have scaled to billions of doses.

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Defense-Forward Biosecurity

Codon

When doctors sequenced the DNA and RNA found in Alice’s blood and synovial fluid—the liquid that surrounds and lubricates joints—they found abnormally low levels of genes encoding iron-storing proteins and high levels of epidermal growth factor receptor RNA.

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FDA Approves Oxlumo (lumasiran) for the Treatment of Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 1

The Pharma Data

Oxlumo works by degrading HAO1 messenger RNA and reducing the synthesis of GO, which inhibits hepatic production of oxalate – the toxic metabolite responsible for the clinical manifestations of PH1. Founded in 2002, Alnylam is delivering on a bold vision to turn scientific possibility into reality, with a robust RNAi therapeutics platform.

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How Emmanouil Metzakopian is finding gene targets to treat neurodegeneration

The Open Targets Blog

We then designed our own CRISPR guide RNA library against the druggable genome and transduced the corresponding lentiviruses into millions of our iNeurons. After treating the cells with tunicamycin to induce ER stress, we looked for guide RNAs that were enriched in the cells that survived treatment compared to untreated cells.

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Codon: Notes on Progress #2

Codon

The central dogma is often depicted as DNA→RNA→protein, but it’s much more: A biophysical marvel inside the smallest of vessels. Eterna is an online game (there’s also an app) where anyone on the internet can solve puzzles by manipulating RNA sequences and simulating the results. Biology is a Burrito.

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