Iranian Scientists at Royan Institute Make 5 Diagnostic, Therapeutic Products
“Our company produces oligonucleotide products (miRNA, siRNA and antisense, probes and biomarkers) that are used to treat most diseases and cancers. Oligonucleotide products are designed against these genes and protect cells from becoming cancerous,” Sa’eed Mohebbi, the company’s R&D manager, told ANA.
He explained that sometimes heteroduplexing occurs, meaning the designed template is DNA, but it is used against RNA, and it destroys the RNA, which is the product of the pathogenic gene and progresses towards becoming cancerous, and prevents the cells from becoming cancerous.
“Some other molecules are microRNAs, or miRNAs for short, which regulate gene expression. Although these molecules inhibit gene expression, in some cases they work in favor of cancer cells, so we have designed a product called antagomirs. This product inhibits miRNA molecules and prevents the development of cancer cells,” Mohebbi said.
“siRNA is also designed against a specific gene and inhibits gene expression. Diagnostic products in this series also include a variety of probes and different forms of biomarkers. Markers and biomarkers enter the bloodstream and body fluids. Through these markers, a person can be identified as having cancer,” he added.
In a relevant development in 2023, Iranian scientists at Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology’s Cord Blood Bank had succeeded in production of wound dressings by using umbilical cord blood and amniotic membranes.
Iranian researchers and technologists at Royan Cord Blood Bank have managed to produce useful and valuable products like culture medium for stem cell proliferation and wound dressings by using biological waste from childbirth and umbilical cord blood in addition to storing 185,000 umbilical cord blood samples.
Royan Institute was established in 1991 by a group of researchers and physicians in Iran University of Medical Sciences of ACECR as an outpatient surgery center to provide medical services to infertile couples as well as research and training in reproductive sciences.
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