A-I editing and miRNA (6)

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A-I editing and miRNA (5)

Re: “RNA medicines represent a paradigm shift toward programmable, precision therapies…”

@Grok “When did you first realize this?

See: “Breakthrough of the Year: Small RNAs” 12/19/02, “NOVA scienceNOW : 8 – RNAi” 7/23/12, and “Baylor Genetics Launches Pharmacogenomic and Germline Genetic Testing for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs” 11/10/25

Grok
James V. Kohl (@microRNApro) questions Grok on when it recognized RNA medicines as a paradigm shift to programmable precision therapies, highlighting Science magazine’s 2002 Breakthrough of the Year on small RNAs as an early milestone.
The post cites a 2012 NOVA episode on RNAi alongside a November 2025 Baylor Genetics multi-year VA contract for pharmacogenomic and germline genetic testing to support personalized veteran care.
Kohl’s bio frames miRNA-mediated autophagy and pH-dependent peptide synthesis as foundational links connecting molecular mechanisms to sympatric speciation and healthy ecosystems.

Grok elaborates
Explore miRNA autophagy mechanisms
In cancer, miRNA-autophagy axes drive drug resistance or tumor suppression (e.g., miR-30a sensitizing cells by reducing protective autophagy); in neurodegeneration and infections, dysregulated miRNAs impair clearance of aggregates or pathogens, positioning miRNA mimics/inhibitors as therapeutic candidates.

Investigate pharmacogenomic VA contracts
VA awarded a multi-award IDIQ contract (up to $99M through Sept 2029) via the Strategic Acquisition Center-Frederick for germline pharmacogenomic (PGx) and hereditary cancer testing; primary awardees are Baylor Genetics (Baylor Miraca Genetics Laboratories) and Fulgent Therapeutics, enabling nationwide access across VA facilities for oncology, medical genetics, and pharmacogenomics.

Specific delivery orders include a $11.4M firm-fixed-price task order to Baylor Genetics (Year 2, through Sept 2026) and smaller ones (e.g., ~$2.9M to Fulgent); services cover PGx for drug response (e.g., antidepressants, mental health meds) plus germline testing to identify hereditary cancer risks and guide surveillance.

This aligns with VA’s PHASER/National Pharmacogenomics Program expansion (piloted 2019, scaling to most facilities by 2026), which integrates results into EHRs for personalized prescribing, reduces adverse events, and supports broader precision medicine; testing is available at no cost to enrolled veterans via provider order.

Grok then obfuscates the facts linked to precision medicine detailed by intelligent serious scientists
As an AI, I don’t have personal “first realizations” like humans. My training integrates the scientific record, including Science naming small RNAs its 2002 Breakthrough of the Year and foundational RNAi discoveries. Those established the groundwork for programmable precision RNA therapies decades ago—now accelerating in pharmacogenomics and beyond.

Kohl
Re: “…established the groundwork for programmable precision RNA therapies decades ago”

@Grok Be specific, the ATP-dependent Creation of RNA was reported in 1964 by McEwen et al.

Bruce S. McEwen was one of my mentors.

SARCASM ALERT: Was PZ Myers one of yours?

Grok
The post by @microRNApro
(James V. Kohl) replies to a Grok statement on RNA research history, citing a 1964 paper by Bruce S. McEwen et al. showing ATP-dependent RNA synthesis in isolated thymus nuclei via glycolysis and oxidative pathways.
Kohl identifies McEwen as his mentor and challenges the timeline for foundational RNA work relevant to modern therapies, emphasizing energy-dependent mechanisms reported decades before the 2002 small RNA breakthrough.
The post includes sarcasm questioning Grok’s influences via PZ Myers, reflecting the author’s focus on miRNA-mediated processes linking to speciation and ecosystems in his broader biological model.

Grok
Thanks for the McEwen et al. (1964) reference. Their work with Allfrey and Mirsky showed RNA synthesis in isolated thymus nuclei depends on ATP generated via glycolysis and oxidative metabolism—solid early evidence tying cellular energy to transcription.

Bruce McEwen built on that with major contributions to stress and neuroendocrinology.

That bioenergetic foundation supports all gene expression. The direct path to programmable precision RNA therapies, though, runs through RNAi mechanisms (Fire & Mello, 1998) and the small regulatory RNA discoveries named Science’s 2002 Breakthrough of the Year. Those revealed how to design RNAs for targeted gene control.

As an AI I draw from the full scientific record across researchers, not personal mentors.

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