Nucleic acid templated chemistry

Nucleic acid templated chemistry (NATC), or DNA-templated chemistry, is a tool used in the controlled synthesis of chemical compounds. The main advantage of NAT-chemistry (NATC) is that it allows one to perform the chemical reaction as an intramolecular reaction. Two oligonucleotides or their analogues are linked via chemical groups to precursors of chemical compounds. The oligonucleotides recognize specific nucleic acids and are hybridized sterically close to each other. Afterwards the chemical active groups interact with each other to combine the precursors into a completely new chemical compound. NATC is usually used to perform synthesis of complex compounds without need to protect chemically active groups during the synthesis.

In 1999 Pavel Sergeev suggested the use of NATC to synthesize biologically active compounds within living organisms., including use within human cells. In this application, the precursors are distributed in the whole human body and the chemical reactions are performed only within cells having specific RNA molecules. This approach allows very specific synthesis within peculiar tissues or within specific cells of the tissue. It is especially a new tool to deliver medications to cancer cells. Additionally biologically active compounds could be delivered to specific cells within humans to promote the targeted cells to divisions. NATC also opens the possibility to treat bacterial diseases. Many scientific groups performed NATC in vivo to visualize eucaryotic as well as bacterial cells. As a principle it opens new perspectives to treat oncological and bacterial diseases as well as to visualize them.

...
Wikipedia