Bio-Rad and IDT in deal to develop RNAi tools - RNAi

Bio-Rad and IDT in deal to develop RNAi tools
June 18, 2006
By Wai Lang Chu
Bio-Rad Labs and Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), have announced a collaboration to develop RNA interference (RNAi) tools sets for life science researchers.
The deal taps into a major advance in genomic research that allows researchers to target specific genes and down-regulate their expression in living cells.
RNAi and therapies based on RNAi have attracted much interest in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.
One reason for this suggests that the lack of interaction with DNA may alleviate some patients' concerns about alteration of their DNA (as practiced in gene therapy), and suggest that this method of treatment would likely be no more feared than taking any prescription drug.
The aims of the agreement will ensure the delivery of validated Dicer-Substrate 27-mer small interfering RNA (siRNA) duplexes for RNAI applications.
The agreement will also see Bio-Rad granted exclusive rights to sell IDT manufactured Dicer-Substrate siRNAs that it tests and validates.
In addition, Bio-Rad and IDT plan to develop a series of control kits for use with IDT's Trifecta Dicer-Substrate RNAi kits and Bio-Rad's validated siRNA duplexes.
?For biotech researchers this is an ideal pairing,? said IDT president and CEO Joe Walder.
?With IDT's Dicer-Substrate design delivering up to a 100-fold increased potency over 21-mer siRNA and Bio-Rad's validation ensuring efficacy in a live cell environment, researchers are free to get their experiments up and running in record time,? he added.
RNAi is a major advance in genomic research that allows researchers to target specific genes and down-regulate their expression in living cells.
The first generation of RNAi technology included the use of short-interfering RNA (siRNA) designed to bypass an intracellular process controlled by the Dicer enzyme.
Later, it was discovered that optimising RNA duplexes to act as substrates for processing by Dicer could achieve improved levels of RNAi-mediated gene knockdown at significantly lower concentrations than first-generation siRNA designs.