Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, United States;
Matthew Disney, PhD, is Institute Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology and Founding Director of the Center for RNA Genomic Medicine. His research focuses on designing small molecules that target RNA to understand and treat genetic diseases. His laboratory has pioneered approaches to identify drug-like small molecules that bind structured RNAs and modulate their biology, including RNA degradation and splicing. Dr. Disney has published extensively, trained more than 150 scientists, founded biotechnology companies, and received several honors, including the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, the Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize in the Physical Sciences, the ACS David W. Robertson Award in Medicinal Chemistry, the ACS Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry, and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award.