SSOs specifically target the splicing machinery of cells, which is often dysregulated in cancer. They bind to specific sequences in the pre-mRNA, blocking or promoting the use of certain splice sites. This can lead to the inclusion or exclusion of particular exons, thereby producing a functional or non-functional protein. For instance, SSOs can be used to skip mutated exons in tumor suppressor genes like TP53, potentially restoring their tumor suppressive functions.
