Scientists at University at Buffalo (UB) have developed a nanoparticle that can silence a gene that triggers drug addiction. A stable nanoparticle developed by them delivers short RNA molecules in the brain to “Silence” or turn off a gene that plays a critical role in many kinds of drug addiction.

“These findings mean that in the future, we might be able to add a powerful pharmaceutical agent to the current arsenal of weapons in order to more effectively fight a whole range of substance addictions,” said Paras N. Prasad, Ph.D.

The new nanotechnology method may also be applicable to treating Parkinson's disease, AIDS, asthma, cancer and a range of other neurologic and psychiatric disorders, which require certain drugs to be delivered to the brain.

“The findings of this study tell us that these nanoparticles are both a safe and very efficient way of delivering to a variety of tissues highly sophisticated new drugs that turn off abnormal genes,” said Stanley A. Schwartz, M.D., Ph.D., and a co–author on the study.

The new nanoparticle silences DARPP–32, a brain protein, understood to be a central “Trigger” for the cascade of signals that occurs in drug addiction. DARPP-32 is a protein in the brain that facilitates addictive behaviours in human beings.Silencing of the DARPP–32 gene with certain kinds of ribonucleic acid (RNA), called short interfering RNA (siRNA), can inhibit production of this protein and thus, could help prevent drug addiction.


Source: Times of India