How cells recruit messenger RNA to start making proteins
The mechanism and regulation of mRNA recruitment during eukaryotic translation initiation
['FUNDING_R01'] · COLUMBIA UNIV NEW YORK MORNINGSIDE · NIH-11360579
Researchers are using precise, microscope-based experiments to watch how cells control the start of protein production with the goal of finding new targets for cancer treatment.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | COLUMBIA UNIV NEW YORK MORNINGSIDE (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (NEW YORK, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11360579 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
The team is using a purified, yeast-based system where key protein factors are labeled with fluorescent tags so they can be watched in real time. They use single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to see how mRNA is brought to the ribosome and how initiation factors work together. Although the experiments use yeast components in the lab, the factors studied are closely related to those that go awry in many human cancers. The insights aim to reveal molecular steps that could be targeted by future cancer drugs.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This project does not enroll patients directly, but its findings are most relevant to people with cancers linked to abnormal control of protein synthesis.
Not a fit: Patients needing immediate clinical treatment or those whose cancers are unrelated to translation-initiation mechanisms would not directly benefit from participating in this lab research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify new molecular targets that lead to better, more specific cancer therapies.
How similar studies have performed: Some drugs that target initiation factors have been repurposed for cancer, showing clinical promise, but the single-molecule yeast approach used here is a more basic and novel way to study the mechanisms involved.
Where this research is happening
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- COLUMBIA UNIV NEW YORK MORNINGSIDE — NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: GONZALEZ, RUBEN L — COLUMBIA UNIV NEW YORK MORNINGSIDE
- Study coordinator: GONZALEZ, RUBEN L
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.
Conditions: Anti-Cancer Agents, Cancer Drug