How a small sugar tag on proteins helps cancers grow and resist treatment
Role of O-GlcNAc-ylation on tumor progression
This work looks at whether a sugar modification on proteins makes cancer cells—especially breast cancer—more invasive and resistant to chemotherapy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Alabama at Birmingham NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Birmingham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11294298 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham will study a specific sugar modification on proteins called O-GlcNAc that increases when glucose is high. They will grow cancer cells in different glucose conditions, use proteomics to find which proteins gain the sugar tag, and test how blocking the pathway changes cell invasion and chemo resistance. The team focuses on effects driven by the Hexosamine Biosynthetic Pathway and its impact on Hedgehog/GLI signaling in tumor cells. The work is primarily laboratory-based using cell models and molecular tools, with the goal of informing therapies that could later be tested in patients.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with breast cancer—particularly tumors that have become resistant to chemotherapy or show metabolic changes—would be most relevant to related future studies.
Not a fit: Patients without cancer or with tumor types not driven by the studied metabolic or Hedgehog/GLI pathways are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could point to new drug targets that reduce tumor invasion and make chemotherapy work better.
How similar studies have performed: Preclinical studies have shown that blocking the hexosamine pathway can reduce invasive behavior in cancer cells, but clinical benefit in patients has not yet been established.
Where this research is happening
Birmingham, United States
- University of Alabama at Birmingham — Birmingham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shevde, Lalita a. — University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Study coordinator: Shevde, Lalita a.
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.