Matthew Disney

Matthew Disney is an Institute Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Florida. He leads the Disney research laboratory (SR-CHEM-DISNEY LAB), which focuses on developing rational approaches to design selective therapeutics from genome sequence data. His work bridges chemistry, biology, and medicine with a focus on RNA-targeted drug discovery.

Dr. Disney's research interests center on developing the Inforna platform, which merges chemoinformatics and RNA structure to identify lead compounds targeting disease-causing RNAs. His lab targets RNAs associated with neuromuscular disorders (muscular dystrophy), neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer's, ALS), infectious diseases, and difficult-to-treat cancers (breast, pancreatic, prostate). Key advances include sequence-based drug design across the human transcriptome, development of RIBOTACs (ribonuclease-targeting chimeras) for catalytic RNA degradation, and tools like Chem-CLIP and Ribo-SNAP for studying RNA-ligand interactions.

• RNA-targeted therapeutics
• Precision medicine
• Chemoinformatics
• RNA structure
• Small molecule drug design
• Neurodegenerative disease mechanisms

His publication record shows a clear trend toward increasingly sophisticated RNA-targeted therapeutic approaches, with recent work focusing on transcriptome-wide mapping of RNA-small molecule interactions, RIBOTAC optimization, and precision targeting of disease-associated RNAs. The research demonstrates a progression from basic RNA-small molecule interactions to sophisticated therapeutic platforms with clinical potential.

Dr. Disney has received numerous prestigious awards including the ACS Nobel Laureate Signature Award for Graduate Education in Chemistry, the Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize in Chemistry, the NIH Director's Pioneer Award, and the Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award. His laboratory has been consistently funded by major research grants supporting innovative approaches to RNA-targeted drug discovery.

As an educator and mentor, Dr. Disney has trained numerous scientists in the interdisciplinary field of RNA-targeted therapeutics. His laboratory serves as a hub for chemical biology research with a mission to ensure exponential impact in studying disease biology and developing precision medicines. The Disney lab maintains an active research program with multiple ongoing projects focused on expanding the druggable transcriptome and developing novel RNA-targeted therapeutic modalities.