Finding peptide medicines that block cancer-related protein interactions
Official title: Streamlining PPI Inhibitor Discovery via Chemically Enhanced Phage Display
Funded at Boston College · NIH-11248397 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new lab technique to discover peptide medicines that block protein interactions linked to cancer, aimed at helping people with cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chestnut Hill, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2024 |
| Project end | December 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $449,500 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM152005-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11248397 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
In the future, people with cancers driven by protein-protein interactions such as PD‑1/PD‑L1 could be candidates for therapies that come from this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients needing immediate treatment or whose cancers are unrelated to the specific protein targets studied are unlikely to benefit directly in the near term.
What this research studies
Researchers are improving a lab screening method called phage display by chemically modifying peptides to make them more drug-like and stable. They will screen large libraries of these modified peptides to find ones that can block important protein-protein interactions involved in cancer, such as PD‑1/PD‑L1. Promising peptide hits will be tested in laboratory assays and optimized for potency, stability, and tissue penetration. The long-term aim is to create peptide candidates that could be developed into better cancer drugs, including options that might be taken by mouth.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to new peptide-based cancer therapies that reach tumors better, are more stable than antibodies, and may be taken orally.
How similar studies have gone: Antibody drugs that target PPIs like PD‑1/PD‑L1 are already successful, while chemically modified peptide PPI inhibitors are an emerging approach with some promising lab and preclinical results but few approved examples.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gao, Jianmin — Boston College
- Study coordinator: Gao, Jianmin
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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.