Project Grant R43CA239961

This Project Grant award of $432,889 was provided by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the Department of Health and Human Services, under the Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research Federal Grant Program (CFDA 93.394). The primary objective of this 5-year grant is to apply advanced molecular imaging and metabolotheranostics approaches to better understand and reverse the cachexia (muscle wasting) induced by pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The research team at The Johns...

This Project Grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute totaling $668,151 will support the development of highly multiplexed live-cell G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) arrays for glioma drug discovery. Spectragenetics, Inc. will deploy an automated multiplexed live-cell assay to detect and quantify agonist and inverse-agonist activities against 55 GPCRs known to be upregulated or downregulated in human gliomas. The assay will be used to screen 48 established...

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded a $179,403 Project Grant under the Cancer Treatment Research (CFDA 93.395) program to the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) to develop and screen novel flupirtine analogue compounds as non-opioid analgesics for treating chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain (CINP). The 2-year project aims to synthesize and evaluate flupirtine analogues that can effectively relieve CINP while mitigating the liver toxicity concerns associated with the parent...

This federal Project Grant award of $423,084, provided by the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.396 - Cancer Biology Research), supports research at Indiana University Indianapolis to investigate the role of the hormone FGF21 in the musculoskeletal wasting associated with metastatic colorectal cancer. The research aims to better understand how FGF21 contributes to the development of cachexia, a severe muscle and bone loss syndrome, in advanced colorectal cancer patients. Preliminary findings...

This federal Project Grant award of $399,829, awarded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research program (CFDA 93.394), supports research to validate the use of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to quantitatively measure the levels of the sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) in gastric tumors. The goal is to use this S1PR1-targeted PET imaging approach to predict and monitor the response of gastric tumors to antibody-drug conjugate...

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), under the federal Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders (CFDA 93.853) program, awarded a $603,406 Project Grant to Research Triangle Institute (RTI International) to support the development of GPR139 antagonists for the treatment of pain. The project aims to optimize the potency, selectivity, and drug-like properties of GPR139 antagonists through medicinal chemistry, and evaluate the...

This $1,511,970 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) supports the development of selective GPR34 antagonists for the treatment of neuropathic pain. The award aims to identify CNS-active GPR34 hits that can be further developed into novel GPR34 antagonists as potential drug candidates for neuropathic pain. Key products and services include: 1) Synthesis and testing of novel...

This $1,504,316 Project Grant award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (CFDA 93.847) supports the development of a novel small molecule therapeutic called RERX-001 to address obesity and associated metabolic disorders such as diabetes and fatty liver disease. The award recipient, Rerx Therapeutics, Inc., will conduct translational efficacy studies in non-human primates and initiate preliminary pharmacokinetic and toxicology studies in rodents and...

This $677,974 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.396 - Cancer Biology Research) to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) aims to investigate the use of antidepressants to inhibit the metastasis, fibrosis, perineural invasion, and inflammation associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). The multi-disciplinary research team will determine if antidepressants such as tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and selective serotonin reuptake...

This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) will fund a Phase 2 clinical trial to assess the efficacy of adding the drug Axelopran, a peripherally-restricted opioid antagonist, to the standard of care pembrolizumab immunotherapy treatment for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) who are PD-L1 positive and taking opioid analgesics. The $1,197,275 award, with a performance period from Sep...