RiboTargets

RiboTargets was a Cambridge-based biotechnology company focused on the discovery of small molecule drugs that target RNA. Spun out from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in 1997, the company pioneered the use of structure-based drug design (SBDD) to identify novel anti-infective agents. Their primary research programs targeted the bacterial ribosome and viral RNA structures, including the Hepatitis C virus internal ribosome entry site (HCV IRES) and the HIV-1 TAR RNA. In 2003, RiboTargets merged with British Biotech in a deal valued at approximately £26 million, which eventually led to the formation of Vernalis. The company's approach was highly innovative at the time, moving beyond traditional protein-targeting strategies to exploit the complex three-dimensional structures of RNA.