Blocking PRMT5 to fight drug-resistant neuroendocrine cancers
Official title: Targeting PRMT5 to combat cancer drug resistance associated with neuroendocrine differentiation
Funded at University of New Hampshire · NIH-11127582 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are testing whether blocking a protein called PRMT5 can help people with neuroendocrine tumors that have stopped responding to cancer drugs.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of New Hampshire NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2017 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $190,768 |
| NIH project number | 5P20GM113131-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11127582 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be people with neuroendocrine tumors—including Merkel cell carcinoma—or patients whose epithelial cancers have shown neuroendocrine features and resistance to standard therapies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with cancers that are not neuroendocrine in character or those already responding well to standard treatments are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
This project focuses on neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), using Merkel cell carcinoma as a model to study how these cancers change and resist treatment. The team will study how PRMT5, an enzyme that modifies proteins and chromatin, helps maintain the neuroendocrine state and drug resistance. Experiments will include laboratory studies of tumor samples and cellular models to find the targets and pathways controlled by PRMT5. Findings may guide development of drugs that block PRMT5 or its effects for patients with resistant NETs.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to new treatments that restore drug sensitivity or directly target PRMT5-driven neuroendocrine tumors.
How similar studies have gone: PRMT5 inhibitors have shown promise in laboratory studies and early research in some cancer types, but applying this approach specifically to neuroendocrine tumors like Merkel cell carcinoma is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
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University of New Hampshire
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cheng, Jingwei — University of New Hampshire
- Study coordinator: Cheng, Jingwei
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.