Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville received a $144,500 Project Grant award effective July 1, 2026, through the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) to develop novel therapeutic approaches targeting L-amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) in cancer. The project, scheduled for completion by April 30, 2030, focuses on creating non-amino acid based LAT1 inhibitors with improved safety profiles and oral bioavailability. The research addresses a critical gap in current cancer therapy, as existing LAT1 inhibitors are amino acid analogs that produce toxic side effects and administration limitations, while LAT1 overexpression in cancer cells presents a selective therapeutic target absent in most normal tissues.

The deliverables include the development of fluorescence-based assay systems for high-throughput compound screening and inhibitor potency assessment, synthesis of non-amino acid LAT1 inhibitors based on monoterpene glycoside structures designed to function through non-competitive mechanisms, and validation of these compounds using engineered cancer cell lines with controlled LAT1 expression levels. These products will advance the scientific understanding of amino acid transporter biology and provide the foundation for developing more effective anti-cancer therapeutics with reduced off-target effects on related transporter systems (LAT2, LAT3, and LAT4).