The discovery that genes can be "silenced" using a technique called RNA interference is creating a stir in medicine. And now it seems the technique is even more powerful than thought, able to switch off genes permanently by physically altering our DNA. This could open up new avenues for fighting diseases, and perhaps even explain the workings of our cells. "So far we have only shown this for one gene, for cells in a test tube," says Kevin Morris at the Beckman Research Institute in Duarte, California. "But I'm optimistic that it has wider implications." His team is already planning to adapt the technique to shut down the CCR5 gene that HIV needs to enter cells.
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