RNA interference (RNAi) is a recently discovered, powerful molecular mechanism
that can be harnessed to engineer gene-specific silencing in mammalian tissues.
A mechanism, where short double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules, when introduced
into cells elicit specific “knock-down” of gene expression
via degradation of targeted messenger RNA, has lately
become the technique of choice for analysis of gene function in oncology
research. Thus, RNAi is currently being extensively evaluated as a potential
therapeutic strategy against malignant gliomas, since surgical, radiological,
and chemotherapeutic interventions during the past few decades have done little
to improve the poor prognosis rate for patients with these dreaded tumors. This
review summarizes the pre-clinical studies that are currently underway to test
the validity of RNAi as a potential therapeutic strategy against malignant
gliomas, and discusses the potential technical Hurdles that remain to be
overcome before the technique can become a promising clinical therapy to combat
this frequently lethal disease.
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