Synthetic DNA learns to grab the genes that drive cancer — and turn them down

Most medicines chase proteins, the finished products of genes. A team led by Dr David Rusling has revived a more direct idea, dormant for decades: send in a short piece of synthetic DNA that recognises one chosen gene and sits on it. The trick that defeated earlier attempts was grip — natural DNA bases hold on too weakly inside cells. Adding a commercially available synthetic base, called Z, let the molecules bind strongly even to stubborn, GC-rich stretches of DNA that control gene activity. In laboratory tests on MYC, a gene that drives many cancers when overactive, the synthetic DNA cut the gene's activity by 50% to 80%. Because the special bases are off-the-shelf, any lab can now try the approach — the study, in Nucleic Acids Research, is a tool first, and a possible therapy later.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation