Research investigating messenger and interference RNA will change the way diseases are controlled within the next ten years. There will be cures for viral diseases such as AIDS and other scourges like Alzhiemers.

But the big game hunt is for "magic bullet" drugs.

Drug makers and researchers have long sought to create drugs that target bad cells while leaving healthy ones alone, hoping to rely less on dangerous, blunt treatments such as chemotherapy.

Now, investors are betting RNA interference will be a powerful tool in customizing drugs.

"There is always a fear that there will be unintended consequences," said Gregory Hannon, an oft-cited RNA interference expert at Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory who has published several major findings in prestigious journals such as Science and Nature. "But even with a few off-target effects, it is still going to be better than any drug currently available. I believe this is revolutionary."

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