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Smart drug strikes a hidden RNA weak point in cancer cells

Smart drug strikes a hidden RNA weak point in cancer cells



Researchers have designed a smart drug that hunts down and breaks a little-known RNA that cancer cells depend on. The drug recognizes a unique fold in the RNA and triggers the cell to destroy it. Tests showed that removing this RNA slows cancer growth. The approach could lead to new treatments that attack cancer at its most fundamental level.
Scientists have developed a new “smart drug” that can slip inside cancer cells and disable a hidden RNA structure that helps them stay alive. Credit: Shutterstock


Researchers have designed a new class of drug molecule capable of specifically destroying TERRA, an RNA molecule that some cancer cells rely on to survive. Using a technique known as "RIBOTAC," the compound is able to locate TERRA inside the cell and break it apart while avoiding healthy RNA. The work suggests a possible path toward future cancer therapies that focus on the genetic drivers of disease rather than its outward effects.

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