ides ▁with ▁a ▁f idel ity ▁of ▁ 0 . 0 0 8 3 ▁mut ations / n uc le ot ide . ▁ ▁Att empt s ▁have ▁been ▁made ▁to ▁develop ▁rib oz ym es ▁as ▁th era pe ut ic ▁agents , ▁as ▁en zym es ▁which ▁target ▁defined ▁R NA ▁sequences ▁for ▁cle av age , ▁as ▁b ios ens ors , ▁and ▁for ▁applications ▁in ▁functional ▁genom ics ▁and ▁gene ▁discovery . ▁ ▁Disc overy ▁ ▁Before ▁the ▁discovery ▁of ▁rib oz ym es , ▁en zym es , ▁which ▁are ▁defined ▁as ▁catal yt ic ▁prote ins , ▁were ▁the ▁only ▁known ▁bi ological ▁catal yst s . ▁In ▁ 1 9 6 7 , ▁Carl ▁Wo ese , ▁Francis ▁Cr ick , ▁and ▁Les lie ▁Or gel ▁were ▁the ▁first ▁to ▁suggest ▁that ▁R NA ▁could ▁act ▁as ▁a ▁catal yst . ▁This ▁idea ▁was ▁based ▁upon ▁the ▁discovery ▁that ▁R NA ▁can ▁form ▁complex ▁secondary ▁structures . ▁These ▁rib oz ym es ▁were ▁found ▁in ▁the ▁intr on ▁of ▁an ▁R NA ▁trans cript , ▁which ▁removed ▁itself ▁from ▁the ▁trans cript , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁in ▁the ▁R NA ▁component ▁of ▁the ▁R N ase ▁P ▁complex , ▁which ▁is ▁involved ▁in ▁the ▁m atur ation ▁of ▁pre - t R N As . ▁In ▁ 1 9 8 9 , ▁Thomas ▁R . ▁C ech ▁and ▁Sid ney ▁Alt man ▁shared ▁the ▁Nobel ▁Prize ▁in ▁chem istry ▁for ▁their ▁" dis cover y ▁of