Abstract:
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Functional genomics, the determination of the function of DNA sequence on a genomic scale, is a fast-growing field in the post-genomic era. For the estimated 30,000 to 40,000 genes in the human genome, definitive functions have been assigned to less than a thousand of the genes. For determining gene function, conventional tools can no longer keep pace with new sequence information rapidly accumulated from various genome projects. Gene function inactivation is the classical approach to gene functional analysis. Antisense technology for sequence specific inhibition of gene expression is an increasingly important tool for functional genomics, because, e.g., it bypasses the obstacles for gene knockout technology--i.e., length of time and potential lethal embryonic phenotype. Antisense technology is attractive also because it provides a systematic and high-throughput approach to the determination of gene function, elucidation of genetic pathways, and drug target validation. A major obstacle for successful application of antisense techniques is the identification of effective sites on target mRNA.
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