One major challenge in biomedical research is to leverage advances in genome sequencing into lead therapeutic modalities to treat human disease. This precision medicine approach holds great promise to advance patient-specific therapeutics and to provide highly selective chemical probes of function to study disease biology. In this proposal, we describe an innovative precision therapeutic approach to custom synthesize highly selective and potent lead therapeutics in only disease-affected cells and tissues by using a disease-causing gene product as a catalyst. That is, the disease-affected cell serves as a reaction vessel and a disease-causing RNA as a catalyst to allow for the synthesis of its own treatment. This is in contrast to traditional precision medicine approaches in which both healthy and disease-affected cells are exposed to the therapeutic, potentially causing toxicity due to binding off-targets. Our technology will be applied to develop compounds to treat and study microsatellite disorders that affect millions of people worldwide and have no known cure. Microsatellite disorders are caused by expanded repeating sequences located in both coding and non-coding regions, with the RNA being a key pathogenic agent. We have previously shown that repeating transcripts are most effectively targeted with multivalent compounds. However, as the compounds increase in valency, their molecular weights increase and their drug- likeness decreases. We therefore recently developed an innovative strategy to synthesize multivalent compounds, from their monovalent components, in cellulo using a disease-affected cell as a reaction vessel and a toxic, disease-causing RNA as a catalyst. We will take these exciting results in new directions and apply them to other debilitating microsatellite disorders including Huntington's disease, various forms of muscular dystrophy, the genetic defect that causes fragile X syndrome (the only known single gene cause of auti

Public Health Relevance

Herein, we propose to leverage genome-sequencing data to develop precise medicines to treat and study human neurological disease. In particular, we will custom synthesize highly selective and potent lead therapeutics in only disease-affected cells and tissues by using a disease-causing gene product as a catalyst, potentially allowing low molecular weight compounds to cross the blood-brain barrier and transform into potent, oligomeric inhibitors in disease-affected brain. Further, these compounds can be used to study disease pathology and image the disease-causing agent directly in cells and tissues of live animals.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
NIH Director’s Pioneer Award (NDPA) (DP1)
Project #
5DP1NS096898-04
Application #
9540084
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1)
Program Officer
Gubitz, Amelie
Project Start
2015-09-30
Project End
2020-07-31
Budget Start
2018-08-01
Budget End
2019-07-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2018
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Scripps Florida
Department
Type
DUNS #
148230662
City
Jupiter
State
FL
Country
United States
Zip Code
33458
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Wang, Zi-Fu; Ursu, Andrei; Childs-Disney, Jessica L et al. (2018) The Hairpin Form of r(G4C2)exp in c9ALS/FTD Is Repeat-Associated Non-ATG Translated and a Target for Bioactive Small Molecules. Cell Chem Biol :
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Disney, Matthew D; Angelbello, Alicia J (2016) Rational Design of Small Molecules Targeting Oncogenic Noncoding RNAs from Sequence. Acc Chem Res 49:2698-2704
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Angelbello, Alicia J; González, Àlex L; Rzuczek, Suzanne G et al. (2016) Development of pharmacophore models for small molecules targeting RNA: Application to the RNA repeat expansion in myotonic dystrophy type 1. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 26:5792-5796
Yang, Wang-Yong; He, Fang; Strack, Rita L et al. (2016) Small Molecule Recognition and Tools to Study Modulation of r(CGG)(exp) in Fragile X-Associated Tremor Ataxia Syndrome. ACS Chem Biol 11:2456-65

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