Rgenta: enhancing interactions between RNA and RNA-binding proteins

Rgenta launched this month with a $20 million seed round to develop compounds that enhance regulatory RNA-protein interactions. The company is disease-agnostic and using amenability to small molecule intervention to guide target selection.

Co-founder, President and CSO Travis Wager told BioCentury Rgenta Therapeutics’ compounds act like glue between RNA molecules and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) that control RNA processing. Molecules stabilizing RNA-RBP interactions have more specificity and potency than those that disrupt the interactions; and disrupting the interactions can yield global, non-selective effects, he said. ...