Use of ribozymes in validation of targets involved in tumor progression

The discovery over 20 years ago that RNA molecules called ribozymes are able to catalyze chemical reactions was a breakthrough in biology. Because of their high specificity, wide range of target selection and action before protein translation, ribozymes, mainly hammerhead ribozymes, have been largely used as specific suppressors of gene functions with the additional aim of validating disease-related genes as potential targets for new therapeutic interventions. However, the lack of suitable delivery systems still hampers the clinical development of ribozyme-based therapeutics. In this review, examples of ribozyme-based strategies to validate targets involved in tumor progression are reported together with a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of ribozymes with respect to RNA interference technology.