Dual-action medicines that block ERK to fight cancer
Dual-Mechanism Allosteric Inhibitors of ERK Signaling
Researchers are developing new ERK-blocking medicines and trying them, alone and with approved drugs, on lab-grown tumor models from people with cancers caused by RAS or BRAF mutations.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas at Austin NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Austin, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11311909 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The team is designing a new class of covalent, allosteric ERK inhibitors that work in two ways to shut down ERK signaling. They will study how these compounds bind ERK and trigger cancer cell death, including how they act together with existing approved drugs that target the same pathway. Promising compounds will be tested in patient-derived organoids and tumor models, especially colorectal cancer samples, to see if they shrink tumors. Findings will guide whether these approaches might move toward clinical testing in people.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for contributing to this work are people with RAS- or BRAF-driven cancers—for example colorectal cancer—who can provide tumor tissue (e.g., from surgery or biopsy) for patient-derived models.
Not a fit: Patients without RAS or BRAF mutations or those hoping for an immediate therapy are unlikely to receive direct treatment benefit from this preclinical research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new drug options that shrink tumors in cancers driven by RAS or BRAF mutations and help patients who do not respond to current therapies.
How similar studies have performed: While BRAF and MEK inhibitors have helped some patients, direct ERK-targeting with covalent allosteric inhibitors is a novel approach that remains largely untested in humans and is currently at the preclinical stage.
Where this research is happening
Austin, United States
- University of Texas at Austin — Austin, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dalby, Kevin N — University of Texas at Austin
- Study coordinator: Dalby, Kevin N
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 below.