{"title":"Small-molecule RNA ligands: a patent review (2018-2024).","authors":"Elia Ravegnini, Andrea Trabocchi, Elena Lenci","doi":"10.1080/13543776.2025.2492759","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Targeting three-dimensional RNA structures with traditional drug-like small molecules is gaining wide attention in both the academia and the pharmaceutical industries, due to their good oral bioavailability, cheap production cost, and the possibility of fine-tuning ADMET properties, which represent a powerful alternative to the current RNA-targeted therapies, including ASO and siRNA. As RNAs are involved in nearly all the physiological and pathological processes, small molecules RNA ligands can have a plethora of different therapeutic applications, spanning from cancer to infectious and neurological diseases.</p><p><strong>Areas covered: </strong>This review describes patents concerning small molecules RNA ligands published within January 2018 and October 2024, searched through Espacenet, Patentscope, and Google Patents databases.</p><p><strong>Expert opinion: </strong>The number of patents that has been released in the last few years demonstrates the relevance of targeting RNA structures for the development of next generation chemotherapeutic agents and antiviral/antibacterial drugs, even though this field is still in its infancy and many issues still need to be resolved, in particular related to selectivity. An emerging approach to considerably limiting side effects is presented by RIBOTAC derivatives, as promoting a selective RNase-L mediated RNA degradation allows to significantly reduce the dose of the compound.</p>","PeriodicalId":12314,"journal":{"name":"Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents","volume":" ","pages":"675-693"},"PeriodicalIF":4.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13543776.2025.2492759","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/4/16 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MEDICINAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: Targeting three-dimensional RNA structures with traditional drug-like small molecules is gaining wide attention in both the academia and the pharmaceutical industries, due to their good oral bioavailability, cheap production cost, and the possibility of fine-tuning ADMET properties, which represent a powerful alternative to the current RNA-targeted therapies, including ASO and siRNA. As RNAs are involved in nearly all the physiological and pathological processes, small molecules RNA ligands can have a plethora of different therapeutic applications, spanning from cancer to infectious and neurological diseases.
Areas covered: This review describes patents concerning small molecules RNA ligands published within January 2018 and October 2024, searched through Espacenet, Patentscope, and Google Patents databases.
Expert opinion: The number of patents that has been released in the last few years demonstrates the relevance of targeting RNA structures for the development of next generation chemotherapeutic agents and antiviral/antibacterial drugs, even though this field is still in its infancy and many issues still need to be resolved, in particular related to selectivity. An emerging approach to considerably limiting side effects is presented by RIBOTAC derivatives, as promoting a selective RNase-L mediated RNA degradation allows to significantly reduce the dose of the compound.
期刊介绍:
Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents (ISSN 1354-3776 [print], 1744-7674 [electronic]) is a MEDLINE-indexed, peer-reviewed, international journal publishing review articles on recent pharmaceutical patent claims, providing expert opinion the scope for future development, in the context of the scientific literature.
The Editors welcome:
Reviews covering recent patent claims on compounds or applications with therapeutic potential, including biotherapeutics and small-molecule agents with specific molecular targets; and patenting trends in a particular therapeutic area
Patent Evaluations examining the aims and chemical and biological claims of individual patents
Perspectives on issues relating to intellectual property
The audience consists of scientists, managers and decision-makers in the pharmaceutical industry and others closely involved in R&D
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