Enhancing potency of siRNA targeting fusion genes by optimization outside of target sequence.

Canonical siRNA design algorithms have become remarkably effective at predicting favorable binding regions within a target mRNA, but in some cases (e.g., a fusion junction site) region choice is restricted.

Therapeutic siRNA: principles, challenges, and strategies.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a remarkable endogenous regulatory pathway that can bring about sequence-specific gene silencing. If harnessed effectively, RNAi could result in a potent targeted therapeutic modality with applications ranging from viral diseases to cancer. The major barrier to realizing the full medicinal potential of RNAi is the difficulty of delivering effector molecules, such as small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), in vivo.

Glycerol-induced membrane stiffening: the role of viscous fluid adlayers.

Lipid interfaces, ranging from cell membranes to thin surfactant layers that stabilize lung alveoli, are integral to living systems. Such interfaces are often subjected to mechanical forces, and because of their membrane-like geometry, they can easily deform by bending into localized folds. In this work, we explore the role of small molecules (i.

Tissue-engineered lungs for in vivo implantation.

Because adult lung tissue has limited regeneration capacity, lung transplantation is the primary therapy for severely damaged lungs. To explore whether lung tissue can be regenerated in vitro, we treated lungs from adult rats using a procedure that removes cellular components but leaves behind a scaffold of extracellular matrix that retains the hierarchical branching structures of airways and vasculature. We then used a bioreactor to culture pulmonary epithelium and vascular endothelium on the acellular lung matrix.

Lateral stress relaxation and collapse in lipid monolayers.

Surfactants at air/water interfaces are often subjected to mechanical stresses as the interfaces they occupy are reduced in area. The most well characterized forms of stress relaxation in these systems are first order phase transitions from lower density to higher density phases. Here we study stress relaxation in lipid monolayers that occurs once chemical phase transitions have been exhausted.