Rapafusyn's Dr. Rick Ewing Acknowledged with Dual Honors for Exceptional Achievements

Baltimore, MD – February 1, 2024 – Rapafusyn proudly announces the distinguished recognition of Dr. Rick Ewing, Vice President of Medicinal Chemistry, for his outstanding contributions to the realms of chemistry and biotechnology innovation.

Rick Ewing has received the 2023 American Chemical Society (ACS) Philadelphia Section Award, the highest honor from this esteemed organization, recognizing a distinguished career in medicinal chemistry. In his award ceremony lecture entitled “Lessons in Medicinal Chemistry,” Rick devoted part of the lecture to Rapafusyn’s platform of non-degrading molecular glues. This award further solidifies Rick's status as a luminary in the area of drug discovery, celebrating his remarkable contributions to the field.

In addition, Rick Ewing is a recipient of the 2023 Edison Patent Award in Biotechnology, a prestigious accolade shared with his former colleagues from Bristol Myers Squibb and Scripps Research. This award celebrates the discovery of technology for the chiral synthesis of ASOs and related oligonucleotides.  The patent "Phosphorous (V)-Based Reagents, Processes for the Preparation Thereof, and Their Use in Making Stereo-Defined Organophosphorous (V) Compounds" (U.S. Patent 11,613,554) covers the technology that has had a commercial impact. The groundbreaking work leading to this achievement was celebrated at an esteemed awards ceremony.

Expressing gratitude, Rick Ewing remarked, “I am beyond humbled and grateful to work with such talented and brilliant researchers over the years. It has been a real honor to work alongside my former colleagues to discover drug development candidates who have made a profound impact.  I look forward to continuing the advancement of drug discovery with my team at Rapafusyn.”

Rapafusyn’s CEO, Dr. Sean Hu added, “We are proud of Rick for the prestigious awards he received. He exemplifies the caliber and tenacity of our Rapafusyn team.”

Rapafusyn extends heartfelt congratulations to Rick Ewing for these well-deserved honors, spotlighting the company's commitment to fostering innovation and excellence in the field of medicinal chemistry, ultimately for the benefit of the patients it aspires to serve.

About Rapafusyn

At Rapafusyn, we are developing non-degrading molecular glues to tackle difficult drug targets to improve patient outcomes.  Rapafusyn has designed and generated large DNA encoded libraries (DELs) and arrayed libraries of non-degrading molecular glues (RapaGluesTM) that are designed on a FKBP-binding macrocyclic peptide platform.  These libraries have been successful in generating novel chemical starting points for hard-to-drug targets, often with cell permeability right from screening. 

Importantly, our non-degrading molecular glues are rationally designed allowing for targeting a wide range of intracellular proteins and the intracellular domain of transmembrane proteins, such as SLCs, ion channels, and GPCRs.  Our modular architecture, and chemical, and biological capabilities enable rapid SAR expansion to optimize potency, selectivity, and physiochemical properties to accelerate drug discovery.

For more information, please visit www.rapafusyn.com or contact:

Heather Lavin

hlavin@rapafusyn.com