A few years ago, at Arrakis Therapeutics, we set out to conquer a strange new territory, drugging RNA structures with small molecules. We have overcome many obstacles on this mission, inventing new concepts and methods where necessary and re-engineering known concepts and methods where possible. But we have not been the only people on this […]
Our mission at Arrakis is to find small-molecule drugs that bind RNA, or RNA-targeted Small Molecules (rSMs). One of the articles of faith that informs and motivates this mission is that non-ribosomal RNA folds into structures that present small-molecule-compatible pockets and that those structures mediate important biological events. And, just as importantly, that binding of […]
In “The Right Stuff,” Tom Wolfe noted that astronauts were granted hero status before their missions, perhaps because no one expected them to return. Happily, Arrakis also has received a lot of laudatory attention just for launching the mission of drugging RNAs with small molecules – before we’ve even achieved it. The plaudits are lovely, […]
