Project description
Messenger RNA as a target for therapy
Although most drugs work by binding to proteins, many disease-relevant proteins remain difficult or impossible to target directly. Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) – the molecular intermediates that carry instructions from DNA to produce proteins – represent a vast and largely unexplored alternative. Small molecules that bind to structured regions within mRNAs could modulate protein production without touching the protein itself. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TranStructRx project will develop a rational framework for identifying targetable structural motifs in disease-relevant mRNAs. This will also advance understanding of how the binding of small molecules translates into functional biological outcomes. The project aims to unlock the potential of mRNAs as a new class of drug targets and open therapeutic avenues for currently undruggable diseases.
Objective
mRNAs represent a vast and underexploited space for drug discovery. As direct regulators of protein synthesis, they provide a direct conduit to function. Current efforts to target RNAs in cells with small molecules often fail to robustly yield function in a predictable manner and usually need to be tailored on a target basis. A major reason is that most approaches prioritize binding affinity over biological outcome assuming, by analogy to proteins, that tighter binding necessarily induces greater efficacy. Yet for RNA, functional output depends more on structural context, temporal accessibility, and interaction dynamics than on affinity alone.
This proposal aims to discover structured, ligandable motifs in messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and to decode the mechanistic principles by which small-molecule binding can alter mRNA function. Because mRNAs control protein output directly, they offer a unique opportunity to modulate disease-relevant pathways, especially in cancers and intractable proteins. Recent unpublished work I conducted on targeting the ABL1 mRNA demonstrates this concept. We identified a functional structured element in the coding sequence of ABL1 through data-guided computational modeling. The motif we uncovered is responsive to small-molecule binding in cells. We aim to expand to other mRNAs and discover general, transferable routes to modulate translation via RNA structure.
Specifically, we will focus on three interconnected aims: (1) to discover functional, structured and targetable motifs in key mRNAs, (2) to understand how small-molecule binding can be transformed into biological function, (3) to elaborate a high-throughput screening platform to efficiently explore the functional RNA-ligand chemical landscape. Establishing a rational, generalizable framework for mRNA-targeted small molecules would open new therapeutic avenues, especially for currently undruggable and orphan disease targets.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75231 Paris
France
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