让基因沉默的人——访诺贝尔生理或医学奖得主克雷格·梅洛

Craig Mello: Silencing Genes

未来的某一天,我们可能会有专门针对自己的个人化药物,这一片药丸是某一个人专用的,医生不再是给同类病人用同类的药物。这听起来,是天方夜谭吗？不,这是2006年诺贝尔生理或医学奖得主克雷格·梅洛（Craig Mello）对生物医药行业的预判。他被称为＂让基因沉默的人＂,个人化药物正是他基于基因研究的合理预判,至少理论上他看到了这种可能。个人化药物也将是从基因组学到精准医学（Precision Medicine）发展的未来。

Craig Mello was awarded the 2006 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, along with Andrew Z. Fire, for the discovery of RNA interference(RNAi)—a natural process of posttranscriptional silencing of genes by small fragments of the nucleic acid. RNA interference has become an important way to research gene function and has great potential for therapies. 'China has a natural advantage in gene research because of its large population, and consequently invests heavily in basic research. However, it needs even more research and investment because it is a long way from basic research to application research.' Now Professor Mello also works in RiboB io Co. Ltd, a leading oligonucleotidebased biotech enterprise in Guangzhou.