Oligonucleotide therapeutics: 25 years agrowing.

The year 2003 saw the 25th anniversary of the first publication of research using antisense oligonucleotides in cells. Oligonucleotides complementary to RNA use a variety of mechanisms to provide a direct link from genomics to gene function, drug target validation and new lead therapeutics. Other applications use oligonucleotides that bind to DNA or proteins to serve similar purposes. In this review, recent advances in mechanisms, chemical modifications and uses of oligonucleotides are discussed, and a broad overview of progress, mainly concerning RNA inhibition, is provided.