Send to printer »  Feature Articles : Sep 15, 2010 (Vol. 30, No.
16)  Scientists Make Headway with miRNA    • Kathy Liszewski
miRNA Expression  To better understand miRNA contributions to
normal and diseased cell physiology, Thermo Fisher Scientific
has developed what it says is a unique approach for expressing
mature miRNAs. According to Annaleen Vermeulen, Ph.D., senior
scientist, there are several approaches for functionally
analyzing miRNAs.   “While synthetic miRNA mimics work well for
transient overexpression in vitro, some cells are resistant to
the delivery methods required, such as lipid transfection.
Lentiviral vectors can overcome this limitation, but expression
presents other challenges. Existing approaches rely on
expression of the native primary miRNA, which is subject to
innate regulation by the cell and can yield ambiguous results
across cell types and conditions.”    To address the issues
posed by inconsistent processing of expressed miRNA, the company
developed a novel design strateg