A ribonuclease is any enzyme that facilitates the breakdown of ribonucleic acid, more commonly known as RNA. Due to its important cellular and genetic functions, RNA has been heavily studied for many years. However, the ubiquity and stability of ribonuclease, which was first synthesized in the late 1960s and is commonly called RNAse, is a major problem in laboratory handling of the complex compound. Thus, a significant scientific interest in ribonuclease has also developed, and many different types of the enzyme, such as bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A, are utilized for research purposes. Through a better understanding of ribonuclease enzymes, a number of ribonuclease inhibitors have been developed in recent years, making laboratory work with RNA a much more practical endeavor.