DNAzymes: cutting a path to a new class of therapeutics.

DNAzymes are synthetic catalytic deoxyribonucleic acid molecules that can be engineered to bind to their complementary sequence in the target nucleic acid through Watson-Crick base pairing and cleave at predetermined phosphodiester linkages. This article reviews the recent use of DNAzymes as probes of molecular function and their potential applications in clinical medicine.