This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) supports research to develop novel therapies for advanced metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The $622,329 award to Virginia Commonwealth University aims to modulate the growth, progression, and metastasis of TNBC by inhibiting the MDA-9 protein. Key objectives include: 1) formulating an MDA-9 inhibitor called PDZ1I for clinical use and characterizing its effects on the immune...
This federal Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 Cancer Treatment Research) provides $1,506,651 to Virginia Commonwealth University to evaluate a new agent, PEPDG278D, for overcoming drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The research aims to assess PEPDG278D's ability to inhibit oncogenic signaling and induce degradation of both wild-type and mutant forms of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and HER2 proteins, which are key drivers of...
This federal Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.396 - Cancer Biology Research) provides $700,690 to Health Research, Inc. to decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying breast cancer bone metastasis. The primary objectives are to: 1) determine the molecular mechanisms driving the dynamic activation of the transcriptional coactivators YAP/TAZ in breast cancer bone metastases, and 2) understand the functional role of YAP/TAZ-activation-driven metabolic reprogramming...
This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) provides $163,750 to The Johns Hopkins University to conduct comprehensive preclinical characterization of novel estrogen receptor (ER) variants. The research aims to: Assess the oncogenic potential and downstream signaling of these novel ER variants to determine how they dysregulate ER transactivation, through transcriptomic, epigenomic, and proteomic profiling, reporter assays, and structure...
This federal Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) provides $447,340 to the University of Miami to conduct research aimed at identifying epigenetic vulnerabilities and mechanisms in endocrine-resistant breast cancer. The study will focus on investigating the role of the CoREST-SWI/SNF axis in breast cancer cells with mutations in the estrogen receptor pathway (ESR1) and SWI/SNF complex (ARID1A). The research aims to uncover new...
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded a $645,323 five-year Project Grant (CFDA 93.396 - Cancer Biology Research) to The Washington University in St. Louis to investigate mechanisms of acid signaling in bone metastases from breast cancer. The research aims to understand how breast tumors induce immune suppression and tumor progression in the bone microenvironment, with the goal of developing novel approaches to inhibit metastasis and recurrence. The project will use genetic and...
This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) will support research at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to develop novel genetically engineered mouse models for studying marginal zone lymphomas (MZL). The $399,187 award, effective July 5, 2024 through June 30, 2026, will enable VCU researchers to investigate the impact of activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway on MZL development. The goal is to create more accurate preclinical...
This $604,746 Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.396 Cancer Biology Research) supports research to understand and predict how male breast tumors respond to endocrine therapy. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the primary awardee, with a sub-award to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to oversee the administration and direction of the project. The key objectives are to: 1) Determine endocrine therapy response signatures using whole transcriptome...
This federal Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.398 - Cancer Research Manpower) for $153,356 provides funding to the University of Virginia to conduct research aimed at understanding how the tumor microenvironment affects endothelial cell cycle state and specification, and mechanisms by which pharmacological cell cycle inhibition can normalize tumor vasculature. The key products and services to be delivered under this 3-year award include: Quantifying endothelial...
This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute, under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395), provides $135,573 to the Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia (University of Virginia) to enhance accrual and diversity across gynecologic and solid tumor clinical trials. The key goals of this five-year award, beginning September 1, 2024, are to: (1) increase the University of Virginia Comprehensive Cancer Center's enrollment in National Clinical Trials...
This National Cancer Institute (NCI) Project Grant award under the Cancer Research Manpower (CFDA 93.398) program provides $303,112 to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) from September 30, 2024 to April 9, 2027 to evaluate the efficacy of the drug elacestrant in preclinical models of breast cancer bone metastasis. The research aims to determine how elacestrant, a newly FDA-approved endocrine therapy, exhibits both agonist and antagonist activity in different biological contexts. The study will utilize in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo models to assess elacestrant's efficacy compared to standard of care treatments, as well as analyze the transcriptional landscape promoted by its estrogen receptor modulation. The overarching goal is to gain a more comprehensive understanding of estrogen receptor biology in the bone metastatic microenvironment, which could lead to improved treatment approaches and patient outcomes for this difficult-to-treat condition.