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Fornaguera C, Torres-Coll A, Olmo L, Garcia-Fernandez C, Guerra-Rebollo M, Borrós S. Engineering oncogene-targeted anisamide-functionalized pBAE nanoparticles as efficient lung cancer antisense therapies. RSC Adv 2023; 13:29986-30001. [PMID: 37842686 PMCID: PMC10573942 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra05830a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the leading causes of worldwide death, mainly due to the lack of efficient and safe therapies. Currently, NSCLC standard of care for consist on the use of traditional chemotherapeutics, non-selectively distributed through the whole body, thus causing severe side effects while not achieving high efficacy outcomes. Consequently, the need of novel therapies, targeted to modify specific subcellular routes aberrantly expressed only in tumor cells is still urgent. In this context, the delivery of siRNAs that can know-down overexpressed oncogenes, such as mTOR, could become the promised targeted therapy. However, siRNA effective delivery remains a challenge due to its compromised stability in biological fluids and its inability to cross biological and plasmatic membranes. Therefore, polymeric nanoparticles that efficiently encapsulate siRNAs and are selectively targeted to tumor cells could play a pivotal role. Accordingly, we demonstrate in this work that oligopeptide end-modified poly(beta aminoester) (OM-pBAE) polymers can efficiently complex siRNA in small nanometric particles using very low polymer amounts, protecting siRNA from nucleases attack. These nanoparticles are stable in the presence of serum, advantageous fact in terms of in vivo use. We also demonstrated that they efficiently transfect cells in vitro, in the presence of serum and are able to knock down target gene expression. Moreover, we demonstrated their antitumor efficacy by encapsulating mTOR siRNA, as a model antisense therapy, which showed specific lung tumor cell growth inhibition in vitro and in vivo. Finally, through the addition of anisamide functionalization to the surface of the nanoparticles, we proved that they become selective to lung tumor cells, while not affecting healthy cells. Therefore, our results are a first step in the discovery of a tumor cell-targeted efficient silencing nanotherapy for NSCLC patients survival improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Fornaguera
- Grup d'Enginyeria de Materials (Gemat), Institut Químic de Sarrià (IQS), Universitat Ramon Llull (URL) Spain
| | - Antoni Torres-Coll
- Grup d'Enginyeria de Materials (Gemat), Institut Químic de Sarrià (IQS), Universitat Ramon Llull (URL) Spain
| | - Laura Olmo
- Grup d'Enginyeria de Materials (Gemat), Institut Químic de Sarrià (IQS), Universitat Ramon Llull (URL) Spain
| | - Coral Garcia-Fernandez
- Grup d'Enginyeria de Materials (Gemat), Institut Químic de Sarrià (IQS), Universitat Ramon Llull (URL) Spain
| | - Marta Guerra-Rebollo
- Grup d'Enginyeria de Materials (Gemat), Institut Químic de Sarrià (IQS), Universitat Ramon Llull (URL) Spain
| | - Salvador Borrós
- Grup d'Enginyeria de Materials (Gemat), Institut Químic de Sarrià (IQS), Universitat Ramon Llull (URL) Spain
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2
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Splichal RC, Gredell JA, Vogel EB, Malefyt A, Comiskey G, Smith MR, Chan C, Walton SP. Modulating Polymer-siRNA Binding Does Not Promote Polyplex-Mediated Silencing. Nucleic Acid Ther 2021; 31:229-236. [PMID: 32749923 PMCID: PMC8215420 DOI: 10.1089/nat.2020.0857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of delivery vehicles for small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) remains a bottleneck to widespread clinical use. Cationic polymers represent an important class of potential delivery vehicles. In this study, we used alkyne-azide click chemistry to synthesize a variety of cationic poly(propargyl glycolide) backbone polymers to bind and deliver siRNAs. We demonstrated control over the binding interactions of these polymers and siRNAs by varying binding strength by more than three orders of magnitude. Binding strength was found to meet or exceed that of commercially available transfection agents. Our polymers effectively delivered siRNAs with no detectable cytotoxicity. Despite accumulation of siRNAs at levels comparable with commercial reagents, we did not observe silencing of the targeted protein. The implications of our results for future siRNA delivery vehicle design are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Chauncey Splichal
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Joseph A. Gredell
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Novozymes Biologicals, Inc, Salem, Virginia, USA
| | - Erin B. Vogel
- Department of Chemistry, and Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Dow Chemical Co, Midland, Michigan, USA
| | - Amanda Malefyt
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- McKetta Department of Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering, Trine University, Angola, Indiana, USA
| | - Georgina Comiskey
- Department of Chemistry, and Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- ChemTrend LP, Howell, Michigan, USA
| | - Milton R. Smith
- Department of Chemistry, and Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Christina Chan
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - S. Patrick Walton
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
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3
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Vocelle D, Chan C, Walton SP. Endocytosis Controls siRNA Efficiency: Implications for siRNA Delivery Vehicle Design and Cell-Specific Targeting. Nucleic Acid Ther 2020; 30:22-32. [PMID: 31718426 PMCID: PMC6987736 DOI: 10.1089/nat.2019.0804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
While small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are commonly used for laboratory studies, development of siRNA therapeutics has been slower than expected, due, in part, to a still limited understanding of the endocytosis and intracellular trafficking of siRNA-containing complexes. With the recent characterization of multiple clathrin-/caveolin-independent endocytic pathways, that is, those mediated by Graf1, Arf6, and flotillin, it has become clear that the endocytic mechanism influences subsequent intracellular processing of the internalized cargo. To explore siRNA delivery in light of these findings, we developed a novel assay that differentiates uptake by each of the endocytic pathways and can be used to determine whether endocytosis by a pathway leads to the initiation of RNA interference (RNAi). Using Lipofectamine 2000 (LF2K), we determined the endocytosis pathway leading to active silencing (whether by clathrin, caveolin, Arf6, Graf1, flotillin, or macropinocytosis) across multiple cell types (HeLa, H1299, HEK293, and HepG2). We showed that LF2K is internalized by Graf1-, Arf6-, or flotillin-mediated endocytosis for the initiation of RNAi, depending on cell type. In addition, we found that a portion of siRNA-containing complexes is internalized by pathways that do not lead to initiation of silencing. Inhibition of these pathways enhanced intracellular levels of siRNAs with concomitant enhancement of silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Vocelle
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Christina Chan
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - S. Patrick Walton
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
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4
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How can novel microscopic approaches shed light on the function of nucleic acid-based drugs? Future Med Chem 2015; 7:1623-5. [DOI: 10.4155/fmc.15.110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
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5
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Zhang Q, Ren H, Baker G. Synthesis of a library of propargylated and PEGylated α-hydroxy acids toward "clickable" polylactides via hydrolysis of cyanohydrin derivatives. J Org Chem 2014; 79:9546-55. [PMID: 25255205 PMCID: PMC4201358 DOI: 10.1021/jo5016135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2014] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
A new simple and practical protocol for scalable synthesis of a novel library of propargylated and PEGylated α-hydroxy acids toward the preparation of "clickable" polylactides was described. The overall synthesis starting from readily available propargyl alcohol, bromoacetaldehyde diethyl acetal, and OEGs or PEGs was developed as a convenient procedure with low cost and no need of column chromatographic purification. The terminal alkyne functionality survives from hydrolysis of the corresponding easily accessible cyanohydrin derivatives in methanolic sulfuric acid. Facile desymmetrization, monofunctionalization, and efficient chain-elongation coupling of OEGs further enable the incorporation of OEGs to α-hydroxy acids in a simple and efficient manner. At the end, synthesis of allyloxy lactic acid indicates that an alkene group is also compatible with the developed method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quanxuan Zhang
- Department
of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
| | - Hong Ren
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard
University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
- Athinoula
A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology,
Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard
Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, United States
| | - Gregory
L. Baker
- Department
of Chemistry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, United States
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6
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Malefyt AP, Wu M, Vocelle DB, Kappes SJ, Lindeman SD, Chan C, Walton SP. Improved asymmetry prediction for short interfering RNAs. FEBS J 2014; 281:320-30. [PMID: 24393396 DOI: 10.1111/febs.12599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2013] [Revised: 08/28/2013] [Accepted: 09/26/2013] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In the development of RNA interference therapeutics, merely selecting short interfering RNA (siRNA) sequences that are complementary to the mRNA target does not guarantee target silencing. Current algorithms for selecting siRNAs rely on many parameters, one of which is asymmetry, often predicted through calculation of the relative thermodynamic stabilities of the two ends of the siRNA. However, we have previously shown that highly active siRNA sequences are likely to have particular nucleotides at each 5'-end, independently of their thermodynamic asymmetry. Here, we describe an algorithm for predicting highly active siRNA sequences based only on these two asymmetry parameters. The algorithm uses end-sequence nucleotide preferences and predicted thermodynamic stabilities, each weighted on the basis of training data from the literature, to rank the probability that an siRNA sequence will have high or low activity. The algorithm successfully predicts weakly and highly active sequences for enhanced green fluorescent protein and protein kinase R. Use of these two parameters in combination improves the prediction of siRNA activity over current approaches for predicting asymmetry. Going forward, we anticipate that this approach to siRNA asymmetry prediction will be incorporated into the next generation of siRNA selection algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda P Malefyt
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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7
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Ragelle H, Riva R, Vandermeulen G, Naeye B, Pourcelle V, Le Duff CS, D'Haese C, Nysten B, Braeckmans K, De Smedt SC, Jérôme C, Préat V. Chitosan nanoparticles for siRNA delivery: optimizing formulation to increase stability and efficiency. J Control Release 2013; 176:54-63. [PMID: 24389132 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2013.12.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2013] [Revised: 12/10/2013] [Accepted: 12/21/2013] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
This study aims at developing chitosan-based nanoparticles suitable for an intravenous administration of small interfering RNA (siRNA) able to achieve (i) high gene silencing without cytotoxicity and (ii) stability in biological media including blood. Therefore, the influence of chitosan/tripolyphosphate ratio, chitosan physicochemical properties, PEGylation of chitosan as well as the addition of an endosomal disrupting agent and a negatively charged polymer was assessed. The gene silencing activity and cytotoxicity were evaluated on B16 melanoma cells expressing luciferase. We monitored the integrity and the size behavior of siRNA nanoparticles in human plasma using fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy and single particle tracking respectively. The presence of PEGylated chitosan and poly(ethylene imine) was essential for high levels of gene silencing in vitro. Chitosan nanoparticles immediately released siRNA in plasma while the inclusion of hyaluronic acid and high amount of poly(ethylene glycol) in the formulation improved the stability of the particles. The developed formulations of PEGylated chitosan-based nanoparticles that achieve high gene silencing in vitro, low cytotoxicity and high stability in plasma could be promising for intravenous delivery of siRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Ragelle
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery Group, Louvain Drug Research Institute, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - R Riva
- University of Liège, Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - G Vandermeulen
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery Group, Louvain Drug Research Institute, 1200 Brussels, Belgium
| | - B Naeye
- Ghent University, Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - V Pourcelle
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Molecules, Solids and Reactivity, Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - C S Le Duff
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Molecules, Solids and Reactivity, Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - C D'Haese
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences, Bio & Soft Matter, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - B Nysten
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Condensed Matter and Nanosciences, Bio & Soft Matter, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - K Braeckmans
- Ghent University, Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Ghent University, Center for Nano- and Biophotonics, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - S C De Smedt
- Ghent University, Laboratory of General Biochemistry and Physical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - C Jérôme
- University of Liège, Center for Education and Research on Macromolecules, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - V Préat
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery Group, Louvain Drug Research Institute, 1200 Brussels, Belgium.
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8
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Youm I, Youan BBC. Uptake mechanism of Furosemide-loaded pegylated nanoparticles by cochlear cell lines. Hear Res 2013; 304:7-19. [DOI: 10.1016/j.heares.2013.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2012] [Revised: 05/02/2013] [Accepted: 05/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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9
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A Combinatorial Library of Bi-functional Polymeric Vectors for siRNA Delivery In Vitro. Pharm Res 2012; 30:362-76. [DOI: 10.1007/s11095-012-0876-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2012] [Accepted: 08/23/2012] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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10
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Hinton TM, Monaghan P, Green D, Kooijmans SA, Shi S, Breheney K, Tizard M, Nicolazzo JA, Zelikin AN, Wark K. Biodistribution of polymer hydrogel capsules for the delivery of therapeutics. Acta Biomater 2012; 8:3251-60. [PMID: 22659177 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2012.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2011] [Revised: 05/18/2012] [Accepted: 05/23/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
A key phase in the development of intelligently designed nanoparticle delivery vehicles for new therapeutic agents is to gain an understanding of their interaction with tissues and cells. We report a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments aimed at tracking a potential delivery vehicle for therapeutic agents, including vaccine peptides and drugs derived from poly(methacrylic acid) hydrogel capsules in certain organs and cell types. For the in vitro studies, two immortal liver-derived cell lines (Huh7 and Hepa1-6) and primary cultures of mouse hepatocytes were incubated with Alexa 647 labelled fluorescent capsules to track their internalization and intracellular distribution by confocal microscopy. Capsules, 500nm in diameter, were taken up into the cells in a time-dependent manner in all three cell lines. Capsules were observed in plasma membrane-derived vesicles within the cells. After 24h a significant proportion of the capsules was observed in lysosomes. To understand the behaviour of the capsules in vivo, Alexa 488 labelled fluorescent capsules were intravenously injected into Sprague-Dawley rats and after 24h the fate of the capsules in a number of organs was determined by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy. By flow cytometry, the majority of the capsules were detected in the spleen whilst similar numbers were found in the lung and liver. By confocal microscopy, the majority of the capsules were found in the liver and spleen with significantly less capsules in the lung, heart and kidney. Colocalization of capsules with cell-type specific markers indicated that in lung, heart and kidney, the majority of the capsules were located in endothelial cells. In the spleen ~50% of the capsules were found in CD163-positive cells, whereas in the liver, almost all capsules were located in CD163-positive cells, indicating uptake by Kupffer cells. Electron microscopy confirmed the presence of capsules within Kupffer cells.
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11
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Aliabadi HM, Landry B, Sun C, Tang T, Uludağ H. Supramolecular assemblies in functional siRNA delivery: Where do we stand? Biomaterials 2012; 33:2546-69. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2011.11.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2011] [Accepted: 11/26/2011] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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12
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Wahba AS, Azizi F, Deleavey GF, Brown C, Robert F, Carrier M, Kalota A, Gewirtz AM, Pelletier J, Hudson RHE, Damha MJ. Phenylpyrrolocytosine as an unobtrusive base modification for monitoring activity and cellular trafficking of siRNA. ACS Chem Biol 2011; 6:912-9. [PMID: 21667942 DOI: 10.1021/cb200070k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
6-Phenylpyrrolocytosine (PhpC) is a cytosine mimic with excellent base-pairing fidelity, thermal stability, and high fluorescence. In this work, PhpC-containing small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are shown to possess thermal stability and gene silencing activity that is virtually identical to that of natural siRNA. The emissive properties of PhpC allow the cellular trafficking of PhpC-containing siRNAs to be monitored by fluorescence microscopy. Accumulation in the cytoplasm of HeLa cells was observed using real time imaging. These findings demonstrate that PhpC-modified siRNAs retain the properties of natural siRNAs while allowing for fluorescence-based detection and monitoring, providing an ideal system for probing siRNA uptake and trafficking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander S. Wahba
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 2K6
| | - Fereshteh Azizi
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 2K6
| | - Glen F. Deleavey
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 2K6
| | - Claire Brown
- McGill University Life Sciences Complex Imaging Facility, Montreal, QC, Canada H3G 0B1
| | - Francis Robert
- Department of Biochemistry and Goodman Cancer Center, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 0B1
| | - Marilyn Carrier
- Department of Biochemistry and Goodman Cancer Center, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 0B1
| | - Anna Kalota
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Alan M. Gewirtz
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, United States
| | - Jerry Pelletier
- Department of Biochemistry and Goodman Cancer Center, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3G 0B1
| | - Robert H. E. Hudson
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Masad J. Damha
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University, 801 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, Canada H3A 2K6
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13
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Tagalakis AD, He L, Saraiva L, Gustafsson KT, Hart SL. Receptor-targeted liposome-peptide nanocomplexes for siRNA delivery. Biomaterials 2011; 32:6302-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2011.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2011] [Accepted: 05/05/2011] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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14
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Jiang M, Instrell R, Saunders B, Berven H, Howell M. Tales from an academic RNAi screening facility; FAQs. Brief Funct Genomics 2011; 10:227-37. [PMID: 21527443 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/elr016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
RNAi technology is now a well-established and widely employed research technique that has been adopted by many researchers for use in large-scale screening campaigns. Here, we offer our experience of genome-wide siRNA screening from the perspective of a facility providing screening as a service to a wide range of researchers with diverse interests and approaches. We have experienced the emotional rollercoaster of screening from the exuberant early promise of a screen, the messy reality of the data through to the recognition of screen data as a potential information goldmine. Here, we use some of the questions we most frequently encounter to highlight the initial concerns of many researchers embarking on a siRNA screen and conclude that an informed view of what can be reasonably expected from a screen is essential to the most effective implementation of the technology. Along the way, we suggest that for this area of research at least, either centralization of the resources or close and open collaboration between interested parties offers distinct advantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Jiang
- High-Throughput Screening facility, Cancer Research UK, London Research Institute
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