How arsenic alters DNA packaging through small changes in H2B histone
Official title: Molecular mechanisms of iAs-mediated carcinogenesis through the lens of histone H2B variants
Funded at Van Andel Research Institute · NIH-11295490 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether tiny changes in a DNA-packaging protein called H2B caused by arsenic exposure help drive cancers in people exposed to contaminated water.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Van Andel Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Grand Rapids, United States) |
| Project start | May 2, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $666,885 |
| NIH project number | 5R01ES034253-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11295490 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with known long-term arsenic exposure (for example from contaminated drinking water) or those with arsenic-associated cancers who can provide medical history or tissue samples would be most relevant to this research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without arsenic exposure or whose cancers are unrelated to environmental arsenic are unlikely to gain direct benefit from these laboratory-focused findings.
What this research studies
Scientists will study how arsenic exposure changes histone H2B variants and the way DNA is packed inside cells. They will use laboratory experiments with cells and molecular tools to map nucleosome positions, track chemical tags on histones and DNA, and measure gene activity across the genome. By linking those molecular changes to genes involved in cancer, the team hopes to explain how arsenic can trigger tumor formation. The work is laboratory-focused and may use cell lines or tissue samples rather than directly testing new treatments in patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could clarify how arsenic causes cancer and identify biomarkers or molecular targets that help prevent or treat arsenic-related cancers.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have shown that arsenic alters gene expression and chromatin, and early work links histone variants to these effects, but the detailed mechanisms remain largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
Van Andel Research Institute
Grand Rapids, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fondufe-Mittendorf, Yvonne Nsokika — Van Andel Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Fondufe-Mittendorf, Yvonne Nsokika
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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.