AION Labs, the first-of-its-kind venture studio spearheading the adoption of AI technologies and computational science to solve therapeutic challenges, and German independent research institute BioMed X, announced the launch of its latest global call for applications to identify computational biologists, biomedical scientists and inventors to form a new startup at AION Labs’ headquarters in Rehovot, Israel.
AION Labs’ next startup will focus on the development of an AI/ML computational platform to identify functional regions in RNA that can be targeted with small molecules. RNA has traditionally been deemed unsuitable for small molecule binding. However, recent developments have shown that RNA levels can be modulated using small molecules, which has resulted in several candidate drugs currently in clinical trials.
RNA targeting is an emerging field and small molecule discovery of RNA modulators remains a significant challenge. It is however an area of huge potential where computational approaches are starting to deliver impact. The platform being developed will include the ranking of the most druggable regions along any given coding or non-coding RNA sequence, a prediction of the functional and off-target effects upon binding, and recommendations of small molecule hits to be used as starting points for further chemistry optimization.
“The ability to successfully target RNA with small molecules holds tremendous potential. By targeting the template RNA that encodes a protein, small molecules can be used to modulate disease proteins that were previously considered undruggable, while the druggable space can be expanded to include the vast world of non-protein coding and non-coding RNA,” said Dr. Yair Benita, CTO of AION Labs. “We are excited to welcome the next cohort of applicants and look forward to working closely with the chosen startup to continue solving the toughest pharmaceutical R&D challenges.”
AION Labs is inviting global computational biologists, bioinformatics scientists, AI and machine learning professionals, and experts in RNA biology and structure to propose the development of an RNA-specific computational platform to facilitate the rational design of RNA-targeting drugs. The technology developed will be evaluated using a selected RNA target as a proof-of-concept. Original ideas that surpass the current state-of-the-art are particularly encouraged.
SOURCE: PRNewswire
