Matthew Disney

Matthew Disney is an Institute Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Florida. His research program focuses on developing rational approaches to design selective therapeutics from genome sequence data, with particular emphasis on RNA-targeted drug discovery. He leads a highly productive research group that has pioneered innovative approaches in chemical biology and drug design.

Dr. Disney's primary research interests include RNA-targeted therapeutics, precision medicine, chemoinformatics, RNA structure analysis, and drug design for neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases. His work bridges chemistry, biology, and medicine to develop novel treatments for conditions including muscular dystrophy, Alzheimer's, ALS, and difficult-to-treat cancers. His research has established that RNA can be effectively targeted with small molecules, challenging previous assumptions in the field.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on RNA-targeted therapeutics, with key advances including sequence-based drug design across the human transcriptome, development of RIBOTACs (ribonuclease-targeting chimeras) for catalytic RNA degradation, and creation of tools like Chem-CLIP for studying RNA-ligand interactions. The research spans from fundamental RNA structure studies to preclinical animal models, showing exceptional translational potential.

• The ACS 2022 Nobel Laureate Signature Award for Graduate Education in Chemistry (2021)
• The Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize in Chemistry (2019)
• BioFlorida's Weaver H. Gaines Entrepreneur of the Year (2018)
• NIH Director's Pioneer Award (2015)
• American Chemical Society's Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry (2013)

Dr. Disney's laboratory has trained numerous scientists who have gone on to successful careers in academia and industry. His research has been supported by substantial funding from the National Institutes of Health and other organizations. The Disney lab maintains strong collaborations across multiple disciplines, enhancing the impact of their RNA-targeted therapeutic approaches.

The Disney group operates the Druggable Transcriptome Project and has developed the Inforna platform, which merges chemoinformatics and RNA structure to identify lead compounds targeting disease-associated RNAs. Their work on RIBOTACs represents a major advance in RNA-targeted therapeutics, enabling catalytic and substoichiometric degradation of disease-causing RNAs.