molecular ‘switch’

A molecular ‘switch’ to reprogram control pathways in cells

"Molecular network diverter" can tweak the control systems that regulate the inner workings of cells, leading to future medical interventions to switch off diseased states or turn on healthy processes

August 20, 2013

A modular technology that uses three biological components to control a signaling pathway inside a cell: the transducer (left), an RNA-based system that gathers information about the chemical environment of the cell; the promoter (spring), the molecular agent that helps to initiate and modulate the desired change; and the pathway regulator (arrow), which finds the appropriate point in the cell’s signaling pathway to make the intervention (credit: Rick Nobles/Stanford Engineering)

A Stanford University bioengineer has helped develop a technology dubbed a “molecular network diverter” that can tweak the control systems that regulate the inner workings of cells, pointing the way toward future medical interventions that could switch off diseased states or turn on healthy processes./.../