That strategy was a microRNA known as miR146a , a regulator of immune function that ’ s recently played a role in studies ranging from cancer to cystic fibrosis . It binds and neutralizes messenger RNA before it can reach the ribosome to produce proteins , interrupting the inflammatory pathway .
The problem was that it didn ’ t treat the other arm of inflammation : reactive oxygen species , volatile compounds that mangle the big , fragile molecules of life . Dr . Liechty ’ s team had a treatment for that , too : a nanoparticle called cerium oxide , which could bind and neutralize reactive oxygen species — but without gene regulation , the immune system would just crank out more .
The key was to combine the two .