Selection and Application of Catalytically Active Oligonucleotides

The experimental design for selecting catalytically active oligonucleotides is often more dynamic and varied. The process of enriching catalytically active oligonucleotides begins with a large library of diverse sequences. A key decision is to be made at the start of an in vitro selection experiment to determine the length of a random region, which would dictate the diversity of the starting library. As an intermediate in the production of proteins and the genetic material of many pathogenic viruses, ribonucleic acid (RNA) presents an attractive target for both biological and therapeutic manipulation. The most established nucleic acid–based approaches to gene suppression at the RNA level is through antisense oligonucleotides and small interfering RNAs. DNAzymes have been repeatedly demonstrated to be capable of acting as efficient tools for the modulation of cancer. Angiogenesis is the process by which new blood vessels are formed and has long been recognized to be required for growth and eventual metastasis of solid tumors.