Dharmacon Genome-wide siRNA Library Helps Identify Genes that Impact
Effectiveness of Chemotherapy Drug
WALTHAM, Mass., April 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Thermo Fisher
Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO), the world leader in serving science, today
announced that the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has made
a groundbreaking discovery using the company's Dharmacon RNA-interference
reagents, marketed under the Thermo Scientific brand. Dr. Michael White,
professor of cell biology at UT Southwestern, and his team have identified
87 genes that appear to affect the susceptibility of human cancer cells to
certain chemotherapy drug treatments.
RNA interference (RNAi) is a mechanism of gene regulation in which
double- stranded RNA can "silence" a gene by eliminating the messenger RNA
(mRNA) corresponding to that gene. Dr. White used the Dharmacon siARRAY(R)
Whole Human-Genome collection of SMARTpool small-interfering RNA molecules,
which target the entire human genome of more than 21,000 individual genes,
to block the action of specific genes in isolated lung cancer cells. He
found that when certain genes were silenced, the chemotherapy drug
paclitaxel (Taxol) was dramatically more effective in destroying the cancer
cells. Dr. White's study appears in the April 12 edition of the leading
science journal, Nature.
This discovery could lead to the development of new drugs that target
the protein products of the genes identified by Dr. White's team and
enhance the effectiveness of current cancer therapies. The eventual result
could be new combination therapies that lower the dose of chemotherapy,
reducing its debilitating side effects.
"We are very pleased to have provided Dr. White and his team with our
unique genome-wide collection of highly effective siRNAs," said William S.
Marshall, Ph.D., vice president of technology and business development for
biosciences at Thermo Fisher Scientific. "Dr. White's seminal work reported
in Nature is an example of paradigm-shifting technology applied to a
significant medical problem."
The Dharmacon siARRAY library enabled Dr. White's discovery because it
allows scientists to quickly test how cells react when specific genes are
silenced. This high-throughput technique employs small-interfering RNA
(siRNA), the active intermediate in the RNAi mechanism. Dr. White and his
team treated human non-small-cell lung cancer cells with siRNAs targeting
each gene in the human genome and monitored survival in the presence or
absence of the drug paclitaxel. They identified 87 different genes that,
when inhibited, caused the cancer cells to be up to 10,000 times more
sensitive to paclitaxel. Additional research will be needed to determine
whether blocking the genes in pre-clinical and clinical studies has the
same effect.
"Being able to do this in human cells - and being able to do it fast -
is very powerful," Dr. White said. "The idea of the screen was to take
advantage of new-generation technology to silence any gene we want. That's
the power of a genome-wide screen - you go in without any expectations and
let the data tell you what's important. We were very impressed by the
potency and robustness of the Dharmacon siRNA collection, which is vital in
enabling such large-scale screening efforts."
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is a member of the
RNAi Global Initiative founded by the RNA Technologies product team within
Thermo Fisher Scientific. An alliance comprising 20 renowned not-for-profit
biomedical research institutions from North America, Europe and Asia, the
initiative provides a forum for members to share research protocols,
establish experimental standards and develop mechanisms for exchanging and
comparing screening data. UT Southwestern is the first institution to
publish a human genome-wide study using the Dharmacon siRNA library.
"Dr. White is a founding member of the RNAi Global Initiative and the
first to receive the whole genome siRNA collection," said Marshall. "Our
goal in establishing the initiative was to combine the power of genome-wide
RNAi- based screening with the collaboration of leading research
institutions to accelerate biological and medical discovery. Dr. White has
been a leader in our efforts."
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in
serving science, enabling our customers to make the world healthier,
cleaner and safer. With an annual revenue rate of more than $9 billion, we
employ 30,000 people and serve over 350,000 customers within pharmaceutical
and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs,
universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well as
environmental and industrial process control settings. Serving customers
through two premier brands, Thermo Scientific and Fisher Scientific, we
help solve analytical challenges from routine testing to complex research
and discovery. Thermo Scientific offers customers a complete range of
high-end analytical instruments as well as laboratory equipment, software,
services, consumables and reagents to enable integrated laboratory workflow
solutions. Fisher Scientific provides a complete portfolio of laboratory
equipment, chemicals, supplies and services used in healthcare, scientific
research, safety and education. Together, we offer the most convenient
purchasing options to customers and continuously advance our technologies
to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery, enhance value for customers
and fuel growth for shareholders and employees alike. Visit
http://www.thermofisher.com .
About the Genome-wide RNAi Global Initiative
The Genome-Wide RNAi Global Initiative is an alliance of leading
international biomedical researchers, established to increase and
accelerate the utility of human genome-wide siRNA libraries. The RNAi
Global Initiative provides a forum for member institutions to share
research protocols, establish experimental standards and develop mechanisms
for exchanging and comparing screening data. Membership is open to
not-for-profit biomedical research institutions across North America,
Europe and Asia. The RNAi Global Initiative is being coordinated under the
auspices of the RNA Technologies product team within Thermo Fisher
Scientific. Its members include the Campbell Family Institute for Breast
Cancer Research at Princess Margaret Hospital and Samuel Lunenfeld Research
Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital, both with The University of Toronto;
Cancer Research UK (CRUK) at the London Research Institute and the
Institute of Cancer Research (ICR); The German Cancer Research Center
(DKFZ); Eppley Cancer Center at the University of Nebraska Medical Center;
Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI); The Scottish Centre for Genomic
Technology and Informatics based at the University of Edinburgh Medical
School (GTI); the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Yale
University; the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; the
Cambridge Institute for Medical Research and MRC Cancer Cell Unit; Fox
Chase Cancer Center; Harvard Medical School; Stanford University School of
Medicine; British Columbia Cancer Research Centre; Trinity College, Dublin;
the Vrije University Medical Center; Weizmann Institute of Science;
University of Dundee School of Medicine; the Institute Pasteur Korea; and
the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, a member of A*Star Biomedical
Sciences Institutes in Singapore.
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Media Contact Information:
Lori Gorski
Phone: 781-622-1242
E-mail: lori.gorski@thermofisher.com
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Phone: 781-622-1111
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SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
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CONTACT:
Media, Lori Gorski, +1-781-622-1242,
lori.gorski@thermofisher.com, or Investors, Ken Apicerno,
+1-781-622-1111, ken.apicerno@thermofisher.com, both of Thermo
Fisher Scientific Inc.
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