Now scientists at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, Massachusetts, have shown that's what happens, at least in monkeys.

NPR: Researchers Try Fighting Heart Disease Gene by Gene

And two companies, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Sirna Therapeutics, are trying to develop RNAi as a drug against diseases like macular degeneration, cystic fibrosis and pandemic flu.

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Mr. JOHN MARAGANORE (CEO, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals): We clearly have in this study, did a very careful evaluation of safety and the treatment was very well tolerated.

NPR: Researchers Try Fighting Heart Disease Gene by Gene

Ms. TRACY ZIMMERMAN (Scientist, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals): We dosed six animals at each dose level, and then we had a control group, which was just treated with saline alone.

NPR: Researchers Try Fighting Heart Disease Gene by Gene

Bartel and his colleague, MIT professor Phillip Sharp , have started a privately held company, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , which makes drugs that function like these new silencing genes.

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Alnylam Pharmaceuticals , a Cambridge, Mass.

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"Clearly RNA interference is a revolution that has emerged in the last few years, " says John Maraganore , who left a job as the top scientist at Millennium Pharmaceuticals (nasdaq: MLNM - news - people ) to become Alnylam's chief executive officer.

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