Cooperative Agreement R41CA189620

The U.S. National Cancer Institute awarded a $855,249 Project Grant to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. (DFCI) under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395). The grant supports DFCI's research to develop new approaches for targeting cell cycle proteins as potential cancer treatments. The key focus is on investigating how abnormal activation of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) drives uncontrolled tumor cell proliferation, and exploring strategies to overcome limitations of...

This $398,728 Project Grant awarded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395) supports the development of a novel homologous recombination (HR) inhibitor, CP-8, to sensitize triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells to DNA-damaging agents. The project aims to examine the synergy of CP-8 with various DNA-damaging therapies, including PARP inhibitors and ionizing radiation, in TNBC cell lines, patient-derived xenograft models, and in vivo...

This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) provides funding to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) to investigate targeting the CDK4/6 pathway as a potential therapeutic strategy for translocation renal cell carcinoma (TRCC), an aggressive form of kidney cancer. The $267,298 award, effective from February 1, 2025 to January 31, 2027, will support in vitro and in vivo studies to test the sensitivity of TRCC cells to CDK4/6 inhibition,...

This federal Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) to the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research provides $727,732 in funding to investigate combination therapy approaches to overcome resistance in dedifferentiated liposarcoma. The project aims to conduct a Phase Ib/II clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib in combination with the MEK inhibitor mirdametinib. This builds upon previous research by...

This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) provides $399,129 to The Johns Hopkins University to conduct research on leveraging a DDX3 inhibitor, RK-33, in combination with immunotherapy to treat triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The goal is to alter the tumor's metabolic environment in a way that enhances the effectiveness of immunotherapy, potentially leading to an "abscopal effect" where the treatment induces regression...

The National Cancer Institute awarded a $406,500 Project Grant to Trethera Corp under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395) to fund the development of a novel, targeted small molecule inhibitor called TRE-515. The goal is to establish the deoxycytidine kinase (DCK) enzyme as a targetable resistance mechanism for KRAS inhibitors in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) models. The research will evaluate the improved efficacy of KRAS inhibitors when combined with TRE-515 in KRAS-G12C...

This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.398 Cancer Research Manpower) supports research to investigate how inhibition of the ABL kinase enzyme can sensitize small cell lung cancer (SCLC) to metabolic disruptions, leading to cell death. The $165,196 award to Duke University was made on December 1, 2024 and is scheduled for completion by May 31, 2026. The researchers have performed a CRISPR/Cas9 screen to identify combination therapy targets that synergize with the ABL...

This federal Project Grant award, provided by the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 Cancer Treatment Research), supports research to evaluate the preclinical and clinical activity of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitors in combination with chemoimmunotherapy for patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The $472,447 award, effective December 1, 2024, focuses on identifying biomarkers, such as DNMT3A expression, that can predict response to these targeted therapies. The proposed...

The National Cancer Institute awarded a $1,634,811 Project Grant to Natsar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. under the Cancer Treatment Research federal grant program (CFDA 93.395). The funding supports the drug development of RK-33, a small molecule inhibitor of the DDX3 RNA helicase, for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs). TNBCs constitute 10-25% of all breast cancers and primarily affect younger women and African-American women, with limited treatment options. Preclinical studies...

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded a $768,437 project grant under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395) to the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) to implement high-throughput screening assays to identify chemical compounds that inhibit the chromatin reader protein SGF29. This target is of interest as it has been identified as a regulator of oncogenic transcription factors aberrantly activated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a disease with poor...