Thermo Fisher Scientific Advances Gene-Silencing Technology for Life Science...( Collaboration with Lentigen Expa...),Health

Collaboration with Lentigen Expands Research Applications for RNAi

WALTHAM, Mass., Oct. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO), the world leader in serving science, has collaborated with Lentigen Corporation to develop a powerful new technology platform that expands applications for RNAi (RNA interference) to critical fields of life sciences research, including neuroscience, immunology and stem cell biology. This advancement, called Thermo Scientific Dharmacon(R) SMARTvector(TM) shRNA Lentiviral Particles, combines Thermo Scientific gene-silencing technologies with Lentigen's expertise in viral-delivery systems. SMARTvector will help researchers overcome common challenges faced when using RNAi, leading to permanent gene silencing in a wide range of cell types.

"With the SMARTvector advancement, we can now effectively deliver stably expressed gene silencing sequences into a broad range of cell types, including those that are difficult to work with, such as primary cells, non-dividing cells, stem cells and neuronal cell lines," said Dr. Ian Jardine, vice president of global research and development for Thermo Fisher Scientific. "Scientists using these cell lines can now harness the power of RNAi in their research, overcoming fundamental limitations in certain existing technologies."

Scientists at Thermo Fisher Scientific have applied innovations in RNAi to develop a novel, dedicated shRNA (short-hairpin RNA) design algorithm that is key to the SMARTvector platform. The algorithm uses criteria unique to shRNA- based silencing for the routine production of highly functional sequences specific to every gene in human, mouse and rat genomes.

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