Benhamou Research Group

Our research laboratory is focused on the emerging role of RNA as a target at the interface between chemical biology, medicinal chemistry, and molecular/cellular biology. We are using organic chemistry as a tool to answer fundamental questions in RNA-biology. The goal of our research is to synthesize and evaluate small molecules that bind to and alter the function of specific RNA motifs in disease cellular models. These small molecules are used as probes to study and interrogate RNA complexes or as drugs to alleviate disease-associated characteristics. Importantly, our research is applicable to most of the pathologies from genetic diseases such as cancer to infectious diseases such as viral and bacterial infections.