Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Cancer Institute awarded a $403,686 Project Grant to Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University on April 7, 2026, under the Cancer Cause and Prevention Research program (CFDA 93.393). The research project, titled "Discerning the Role of CDK10 in Driving Aggressiveness and Disparities of Triple Negative Breast Cancer," will be conducted through March 31, 2028, at the awardee's Cleveland, Ohio facility. This project supports investigational research into Cyclin Dependent Kinase 10 (CDK10) as a therapeutic target for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), with emphasis on understanding disease disparities affecting African American and Black women, who experience significantly higher mortality rates from TNBC compared to European American and White women.

The research deliverables include mechanistic studies evaluating CDK10 expression patterns across patient populations, assessment of CDK10's role in tumor aggressiveness and cell cycle control, and preclinical validation of CDK10 as a selective therapeutic target with potential limited toxicity to normal cells. By characterizing this understudied "dark kinase" and its differential expression in TNBC patients, the project aims to identify innovative drug development pathways that could improve outcomes for this aggressive cancer subtype while addressing documented health disparities in cancer mortality. The funding supports basic translational research aligned with the Cancer Cause and Prevention Research program's objectives to identify cancer mechanisms and develop prevention and intervention strategies in human populations.