NIEHS Project Studies Gene-Environment Link

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C. today announced it’s launching a three-year effort focusing on how specific genes might contribute to environment-related diseases.

NIEHS’ National Center for Toxicogenomics is developing a new library cataloguing finds on RNA interference or RNAi, a new technology that turns off specific genes so scientists can better understand how the genes influence the cell and which genes are responsible for adverse reactions to chemicals, drugs and other environmental factors.

“This new technology gives us a stronger tool box for understanding the environmental response genes,” NIEHS Director Dr. Kenneth Olden said in a statement. “By focusing on the environmental response genes, we’re building a library of RNAi molecules that'll help us fight diseases.”

RTP-based biotechnology company Icoria, formerly known as Paradigm Genetics, will carry out the three-year contract, which is the first phase of the project.