How HER receptors (EGFR/HER2/HER3/HER4) control cancer cell growth
Structural and Functional Studies of HER Receptors
This work looks at how HER family proteins change shape and pair up in cancer cells so scientists can design better treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11260886 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers use advanced cryo-electron microscopy to visualize full human HER receptors as they sit in membranes. They reconstitute and purify the full-length proteins and test how growth signals, therapeutic antibodies, and cancer-linked mutations change receptor shapes and pairing. By mapping these structural changes, the team aims to explain when receptors become active or stay off. Those structural insights are intended to help guide the design of more effective targeted drugs and antibodies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Patients with cancers driven by HER family proteins — for example HER2-positive breast cancer or EGFR-mutant lung cancer — are most likely to benefit from findings based on this work.
Not a fit: People with cancers not driven by HER/EGFR family changes, or with non-cancer conditions, are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could guide development of more precise HER-targeted drugs and antibodies, improving effectiveness and reducing side effects.
How similar studies have performed: High-resolution structures of some HER receptor complexes have been obtained before, and this project's cryo-EM approach builds on those successful advances to resolve full-length receptor assemblies.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jura, Natalia — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Jura, Natalia
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.