05/08/2015

MicroRNA and Cancer Therapeutics

12:17 minutes

MicroRNA are short non-coding RNA segments discovered in the last two decades. These short nucleotides play an important role in the regulation of gene expression and have been investigated as promising cancer therapeutics. Two studies (“Detection of dietary plant-based small RNAs in animals” and “A novel chemopreventive strategy based on therapeutic microRNAs produced in plants“) in Cell Research investigated the ability of plants to deliver microRNAs. Molecular biologists Kendal Hirschi, an author on one of the studies, and Ken Witwer discuss the research and the possibility of using microRNAs therapeutically.

Segment Guests

Kendal Hirschi

Kendal Hirschi is a professor of pediatrics and human genetics at the Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.

Ken Witwer

Ken Witwer is an assistant professor of molecular and comparative pathobiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Meet the Producer

About Alexa Lim

Alexa Lim was a senior producer for Science Friday. Her favorite stories involve space, sound, and strange animal discoveries.