How two proteins (ΔNp63α and TIP60) help squamous cell cancers resist chemotherapy
Official title: Role of DeltaNp63 alpha and TIP60 in SCC progression and chemoresistance
Funded at Wright State University · NIH-11225130 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work explores whether blocking the proteins ΔNp63α and TIP60 can help people with squamous cell carcinoma respond better to cisplatin chemotherapy.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wright State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dayton, United States) |
| Project start | December 7, 2023 |
| Project end | November 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $604,478 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA280075-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11225130 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with squamous cell carcinoma—especially cancers of the head and neck, skin, cervix, or lung—or those with tumors that have not responded well to cisplatin would be most relevant to this work.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with non-squamous cancers or whose tumors do not show high ΔNp63α or TIP60 levels are less likely to benefit from the specific approaches studied here.
What this research studies
Researchers will study tumor samples and laboratory cancer models to see how high levels of ΔNp63α and TIP60 link to resistance to cisplatin in squamous cell carcinomas of the skin, head and neck, cervix, and lung. They will use genetic silencing and a chemical inhibitor (TH1834) to lower TIP60 activity and measure effects on ΔNp63α stability, tumor cell survival, and apoptosis. The team will compare treated and untreated cancer cells and analyze patient tumor data to correlate protein levels with chemotherapy response. Findings will be used to identify whether targeting TIP60 or ΔNp63α could become a strategy to make cisplatin work better for patients with resistant disease.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to new treatments that make cisplatin more effective and reduce recurrence in cisplatin-resistant squamous cell carcinoma.
How similar studies have gone: Laboratory studies, including the investigators' preliminary work, show TIP60 inhibition can lower ΔNp63α and sensitize cancer cell lines to cisplatin, but this approach has not yet been proven in patients.
Where this research is happening
-
Wright State University
Dayton, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kadakia, Madhavi P — Wright State University
- Study coordinator: Kadakia, Madhavi P
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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.