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Review

DNAzyme technology and cancer therapy: cleave and let die

¹ Department of Orthopaedics, St. Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia; ² Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma Service, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia; and ³ Centre for Vascular Research, Department of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, The University of New South Wales and Department of Haematology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia

Requests for reprints: Crispin R. Dass, Department of Orthopaedics, St. Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, Fitzroy, Vic 3065, Australia. Phone: 61-3-9288-3954; Fax: 61-3-9416-3610. E-mail: crispin.dass{at}svhm.org.au

Novel molecules are constantly being discovered and developed to find better means of managing debilitating and fatal diseases, which include cancer in its multiple forms. Among these molecules, and as a direct consequence of a better understanding of the molecular basis of diseases, are those falling within the class of gene therapeutics. Among these players, deoxyribozymes (DNAzymes) have come a long way from being just another analytic tool available to molecular biologists. Recent studies have shown the potential DNAzymes to serve as drugs both in cell-based assays and preclinical models of cancer. It is anticipated that with the development of smart delivery systems for DNAzymes, better pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics will be possible, expediting DNAzyme march toward the clinic. Also, the ability of DNAzymes to yield to such phenomena as light-induced activation may be exploited for targeted therapy. This review documents the rise of DNAzymes in the fight against cancer and serves as a forecast for this promising biotechnology in this context. [Mol Cancer Ther 2008;7(2):243–51]

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