RNA plays essential roles in a large number of key biological processes such as the control of transcription, translation and the regulation of gene expression. The functions of RNAs are numerous and complex because they are multifactorial. This explains why a complete mapping of RNA-driven cellular events is not yet available. However, it is established that these roles are often critical for cell homeostasis and each deregulation of the balance established by the expression levels of coding and non-coding RNAs can be at the origin of many pathologies. This perception of the regulatory role of RNA has been a major revolution in biology. The targeting of RNA appears to be strategically more relevant than that of DNA, due to a wide variety of three-dimensional structures that render them more similar to proteins than to DNA in terms of potential targeting.
Thus, their targeting by both oligonucleotides and small molecules (RNA ligands) is currently considered extremely promising from a therapeutic point of view, but also appears to be a major challenge in modern medicinal chemistry.
In this context, this RNA network aims the development of collaborations and better visibility around three themes:
Axis 1. Design and synthesis of tools: from small molecule RNA ligands to modified RNA oligonucleotides
Axis 2. Study of interactions: development of biochemical and biophysical tools for the understanding of interaction mechanisms at the molecular and cellular level
Axis 3. Therapeutic applications: in vitro and in vivo models