Selectivity suite

Although the small molecule landscape has been largely defined by protein-binding agents, new classes of compounds are emerging that block the formation of specific proteins at the level of their RNA, redefining what constitutes a druggable target. Matthew Disney, a Scripps-based pioneer in the field, has added to the discovery landscape with a pair of small molecule compounds that bind oncogenic non-coding RNAs.

In two papers published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society in the last two months, Disney and colleagues used the suite of platforms they’ve been developing for over a decade to identify small molecules that block two independent oncogenic non-coding RNA targets. Disney is a professor of chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute...