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Most of the DNA alterations that are tied to disease do not alter protein-coding genes, but rather the “switches” that control them. Characterizing these switches is one of many goals of the ENCODE project – a sweeping, international effort to create a compendium of all of the working parts of the human genome that have not been well studied or well understood.

RNA interference, a gene-silencing phenomenon discovered in the late 1990s, was hailed for its potential as a treatment in cancer and other diseases. But finding a way to deliver short stretches of RNA to tumors  safely and effectively has been challenging. By themselves, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) break down quickly and invade tumors poorly, so they need a delivery vehicle.

Now one exciting technology is enabling another. Scientists have successfully targeted cancer cells in mice by creating tumor-penetrating nanoparticles to carry siRNAs as their cargo.

Malaria isn’t simply one disease caused by one organism. Malaria, which the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates affected over 200 million people in 2010, can actually be caused by five different species of parasite, and depending in part upon which one has made its home inside a host, symptoms of the disease can range from relatively mild to fatal.

Targeted therapies are changing cancer treatment. Designed to wield laser-like precision, they focus on overactive proteins produced by mutated genes, destroying cancer cells but sparing normal cells. Most of the cancer drugs created in the last decade follow that model, exploiting knowledge of genetic mutations to stop cancer’s progression rather than aiming a fusillade of chemotherapy agents against all fast-growing cells, normal or cancerous.