RNA therapeutics

“RNA therapeutics” refers to a disease treatment or drug that utilizes RNA as a component. In this context, RNA may be the direct target of a small-molecule drug or RNA itself may be the drug, designed to bind to a protein, or to mimic or target another RNA. RNA has gained attention in the drug-development world, as recent clinical successes and breakthrough technologies have revolutionized the drug-like qualities of the molecule or its usefulness as a drug target. In this special issue of RNA, we gathered expert perspectives on the past, present, and future of the field, to serve as a primer and also a challenge to the broad scientific community to incorporate RNA into their experimental design and problem-solving process, and to imagine and realize the potential of RNA as a therapeutic drug or target.