Fig. 2 |. RNA devices enable diverse applications.

Versatility of RNA highlighted in the wide application space of RNA devices ranging from addressing bottlenecks in basic research (part A), to providing advancements in biomanufacturing (part B) to propelling new frontiers in human health (part C). Aa | Detecting and quantifying endogenous LIN28A protein levels enables qualitative distinction between undifferentiated human induced pluripotent stem cells and differentiated cells³⁵. Ab | RNA aptamers can be combined to create an aptamer-based Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) system for studying RNA folding inside living cells³⁷. Ac | A tetracycline-dependent ribozyme switch controls polyQ-huntingtin expression and inclusion body formation in a novel inducible Caenorhabditis elegans polyglutamine Huntington’s disease model³⁸. Ba | Cytoplasmic small-molecule concentrations can be monitored with ribozyme switches engineered to respond to specific metabolites³⁹. Bb | Metabolite-responsive ribozyme switches integrated into cellular pathways enable reprogramming of networks for dynamic control of metabolic flux⁴⁰. Ca | Insertion of a 6R-folinic acid (6R-FA)-responsive aptamer into microRNA (miRNA) switches enables regulation of T cell proliferation through control of miRNA processing⁴⁴. Cb | CRISPR guide RNA (gRNA) engineered with RNA aptamers that use a strand-displacement mechanism can lead to transcriptional regulation by ‘dead’ CRISPR–Cas9 (dCas9) (REF.⁴⁵). Cc | A ribozyme switch can enable inducible control of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) proteins in a mouse model of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD)⁵⁶. GlcNAc, N-acetylglucosamine.