RNA Therapeutics
WHY RNA CHEMISTRY?
KelAda has an on-going program of research in drug/RNA interaction with a view to identifying small molecule motifs which elicit bioactivities enabled by affecting RNA metabolism, binding and function.
OUR APPROACH
KelAda's research in RNA chemistry leverages our expertise in:
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drug discovery
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nucleoside/nucleotide synthesis
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late-stage halogenation
CURRENT DEVELOPMENT
We currently have research projects underway in the following 4 areas:
1. Development of Small Molecule RNA binders
Through rational design, we have developed a number of molecular motifs with remarkable sequence-selective RNA-binding properties. This unique platform which currently recognises 3–4 consecutive nucleobases, could be further enlarged to achieve binding to larger strands of RNA's.
2. Determination of new RNA-binding proteins
We are partnering with Academic collaborators to develop a new proteomics analytical tool capable of "fishing" for known and unknown RNA-binding proteins. This tool is intended to assist researchers involved in target identification and validation; thus expanding the range of therapies whose mechanism of action occurs via interactions with non-coding RNA's.
3. Preparation of RNA's including 19F or 18F tags
We use our chemical expertise to introduce 18F and 19F in either 2’ and 4’ ribose positions of RNA's. This mild, selective, and biocompatible fluorination platform is enabled by an in-house developed chemical synthesis technology.
4. Preparation of 19F or 18F fluoro-PNA's
We leverage our chemistry expertise to introduce 18F and 19F into PNA constructs with the aim of providing a toolkit for researchers involved in chemical biology and drug discovery; thus allowing them to address unmet research questions in RNA biology.