Evaluating Research for the Detection or Treatment of Genetic Diseases: A Critical Analysis of RNA I

Background and Research Question

Evaluative analysis Breakdown and analyse novel research for the detection or treatment of genetic disease. The research paper that you will be critically evaluating is ‘RNA interference improves motor and neuropathological abnormalities in a Huntington’s disease mouse model’ by Harper et al.

Describe the background to the work, including the clinical need being addressed, the key biological concepts underlying the study, and the research question that the authors seek to answer (25% of marks);

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the methods employed in the study, including the statistical analyses, and whether they are appropriate to answer the research question (25%);

Summarise the results of the study, and comment on the strength of the data and whether they support the authors’ conclusions (25%);

Discuss the potential impact of the findings, such as the most important information to come from the study and the potential utility of the results in the diagnosis or treatment of genetic disease.

Where appropriate, describe future experiments that would need to be performed (15%). Appropriate references, in either the Harvard or Vancouver format (10%).