long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs):
A Vast and Promising Class of Therapeutic Targets
Historically, RNA has been thought of as a messenger whose role is to translate information from DNA into proteins. However, the vast majority of our DNA is copied into RNAs that do not make proteins. These RNA molecules, called non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), have now been shown to have an essential role in our cells by interacting with and modulating the activities of proteins that participate in critical cellular events. Our focus at NextRNA is lncRNAs, which account for the majority of ncRNAs.
Dysregulated interactions between lncRNAs and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are implicated in multiple disease areas, including oncology, immunology, and neurology. lncRNAs represent a vast and, to date, untapped class of therapeutic targets.
The key to understanding precisely how lncRNAs drive disease is by elucidating the proteins they interact with and what cellular processes they affect. In turn, small molecules can be designed to drug these lncRNA-RBP interactions.