Symposium on RNAi in Human Therapy

The EU-funded research project RIGHT ('RNA interference technology as human therapeutic tool') and the European Science Foundation (ESF) will hold a symposium on ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) in human therapy on 9 November in Lisbon, Portugal.

The aim of the one-day event is to have a panel discussion on the future of RNAi in human therapy with relevant ESF group members and key therapy representatives from RIGHT.

In more detail, topics will include the following:

• RNAi therapy against the moving target HIV-1;
• optimisation of small interfering RNA (siRNA) function, in vivo delivery and therapeutic potential by chemical modifications and polymeric formulation;
• new formulations for targeted siRNA delivery;
• challenges and opportunities in the development of siRNA therapeutics;
• RNA interference based approaches to therapeutic target validation for neuropsychiatric disorders;
• validation of therapeutic siRNA approaches in animal models of tumour necrosis factor/tumour necrosis factor receptor (TNF/TNFR) mediated chronic inflammatory diseases;
• RNA interference as an alternative therapeutic modality in the treatment of human anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) positive human tumours;
• fusion genes;
• global identification and therapeutic knock-down of host cell factors essential for influenza replication;
• optimising RNAi effecters to counter chronic hepatitis B virus infection.