Binary PROTAC delivery to trigger targeted protein degradation in cancer
Official title: Intracellular Delivering E3P-ligand conjugates to induce efficient protein degradation
Funded at Tufts University Medford · NIH-11336777 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant aims to develop new ways to efficiently degrade cancer-causing proteins inside cells using specially designed PROTACs delivered by lipid nanoparticles.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tufts University Medford NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 1, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,243,500 |
| NIH project number | 1R01GM164302-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11336777 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients with cancers where the target proteins can be degraded by PROTAC-based strategies and who are eligible for future clinical trials evaluating these approaches.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose cancers do not rely on degradable target proteins or who cannot receive experimental lipid nanoparticle–delivered therapies may not benefit.
What this research studies
The project seeks to overcome dosing challenges in PROTAC therapies by transforming the traditional three-component system into a simpler binary approach. Researchers will covalently attach a target-binding ligand to an E3 ligase and deliver it inside cells with lipid nanoparticles to promote protein degradation. They will also explore pre-formed E3P:PROTAC complexes delivered similarly, and test these strategies in laboratory and animal models, including applications to liver fibrosis. The work combines chemical design, cellular experiments, and in vivo studies to demonstrate how this method could more effectively reduce disease-causing proteins in cancer-related contexts.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could enable more precise and effective protein degradation therapies for cancers, potentially improving treatment outcomes.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical work on PROTACs and E3 ligase–target delivery has shown promise, but the binary, covalent-conjugate and pre-fused delivery strategies are still largely exploratory.
Where this research is happening
-
Tufts University Medford
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Xu, Qiaobing — Tufts University Medford
- Study coordinator: Xu, Qiaobing
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.