Press Release

Effective Gene Knockdown with siRNA Vectors

Redwood City, Calif. July 23, 2003—Panomics, Inc. introduces the TF siRNA Vectors designed to suppress transcription factor (TF) genes. The use of specially designed vector constructs for inducing RNA interference has numerous advantages over oligonucleotide-based techniques. The most significant advantage is stability: promoter regions in the vector ensure that siRNA transcripts are constantly expressed, maintaining cellular levels at all times. Thus, the duration of the effect is not as transient as in the case of injected RNA, which usually lasts no more than a few days. And by using expression constructs instead of oligo injection, it is possible to perform multi-generational studies of gene knock-down because the vector can become a permanent fixture in the cell line.

Each of these siRNA Vectors encodes an RNA sequence which is post-transcriptionally converted into an siRNA-like transcript. The siRNA targets a specific TF-encoding mRNA for degradation through the RNA interference mechanism. Simply transfect the vector into cells to substantially reduce TF activity.