How DNA repair and gene regulation work together in cancer
Official title: Interplay between DNA base excision repair and transcriptional regulation
Funded at Research Inst of Fox Chase Can Ctr · NIH-11392562 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research team is studying how repairing DNA damage in cancer-related genes can influence how those genes are turned on or off.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Research Inst of Fox Chase Can Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | September 17, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $470,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM155098-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11392562 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with cancer or individuals whose tumors show oxidative DNA damage and BER involvement in gene regulation.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose cancers do not involve BER-related transcriptional regulation at promoter regions may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project will explore how oxidative DNA damage near gene promoters is repaired by base excision repair (BER) and how this repair process affects gene activity. The team will use a mix of structural biology, single-molecule fluorescence, and cell-based tests to uncover the molecular steps linking BER to transcription at G-quadruplex regions. By mapping how BER proteins, including APE1, interact with DNA structures to regulate gene expression, they aim to identify new ways to influence disease-related genes. The long-term goal is to design therapies that modulate transcription by targeting these protein–DNA interactions in cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new strategies that alter cancer-related gene activity by targeting DNA repair-transcription links.
How similar studies have gone: prior research has begun to reveal how DNA damage and repair can influence gene expression, but detailed molecular links at G4 promoters are still being unraveled.
Where this research is happening
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Research Inst of Fox Chase Can Ctr
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Whitaker, Amy Michelle — Research Inst of Fox Chase Can Ctr
- Study coordinator: Whitaker, Amy Michelle
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.