Chemical tools to unlock new cancer drug targets
Official title: Chemical Proteomic Platforms for Radically Expanding Cancer Druggability
Funded at Scripps Research Institute, the · NIH-11406292 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research project to develop new chemical probes that can turn previously undruggable cancer-related proteins into drug targets to help patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Scripps Research Institute, the NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2018 |
| Project end | August 31, 2032 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $916,320 |
| NIH project number | 5R35CA231991-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11406292 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with cancers that harbor these target proteins could benefit from future therapies developed from this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without cancers or with cancers not linked to the studied targets may not benefit directly.
What this research studies
This project aims to expand the set of cancer proteins that can be targeted with medicines by creating advanced chemical probes. The team will build and test stereoprobes and covalent ligands to identify and validate druggable pockets on cancer-relevant proteins, including challenging transcription factors and RNA-binding proteins. The work uses innovative proteomics and chemistry approaches to map how these proteins interact with potential drugs, with the goal of enabling new therapies for cancer patients. Progress could lead to first-in-class compounds that disrupt key cancer drivers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could gain access to new therapeutic options targeting currently undruggable cancer proteins.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work in this area has shown that covalent probes and proteomics-guided targeting can reveal druggable sites on challenging cancer proteins, with several advances translating into novel therapies.
Where this research is happening
-
Scripps Research Institute, the
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cravatt, Benjamin F — Scripps Research Institute, the
- Study coordinator: Cravatt, Benjamin F
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.