From fleeting states to therapeutics: understanding RNA targets to aid drug discovery
Official title: From Fleeting States to Therapeutics: New Perspectives in Protein-RNA Binding Dynamics and their Role in Drug Discovery
Funded at University of New Mexico · NIH-11440462 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A grants project at UNM aims to understand how RNA structures in HIV-1 TAR influence binding with potential peptide drugs, using single-molecule methods and computer models.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of New Mexico NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Albuquerque, United States) |
| Project start | August 14, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $222,516 |
| NIH project number | 1R21AI203185-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11440462 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with HIV infection or related conditions who could participate in future peptide-drug development studies or related biospecimen analyses.
✕Less likely to help
This foundational work may not yield immediate treatments for patients in the short term.
What this research studies
This project focuses on RNA targets that are hard to drug and uses innovative single-molecule techniques to observe TAR RNA dynamics. Researchers will label molecules non-perturbatively and build computational models to map how TAR changes shape and interacts with peptides. The goal is to establish TAR as a viable target for peptide-based therapeutics, improving our ability to design drugs that can bind challenging RNA targets.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with HIV could benefit from new peptide therapies that target regulatory RNA structures.
How similar studies have gone: Previous efforts show that understanding RNA dynamics can reveal new drug targets, but applying this to HIV TAR with peptide therapeutics is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: King, John — University of New Mexico
- Study coordinator: King, John
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.