Molecular guides for targeting protein loops with covalent molecules
Official title: A Molecular Recognition Guidebook for Targeting Protein Loops with Covalent Ligands
Funded at University of Notre Dame · NIH-11391353 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new plan to learn how tiny covalent drugs can bind protein loops to control disease-related signals.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Notre Dame NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Notre Dame, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $434,500 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM160331-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11391353 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with diseases caused by loop-related protein dysfunction may benefit from future therapies informed by this research.
✕Less likely to help
Direct benefits are unlikely for individuals unless later therapies emerge from this basic sciencework.
What this research studies
This project explores how covalent ligands attach to specific protein loops to change how proteins behave in cells. By studying shape, chemical features, and loop motion, researchers aim to predict which loops can be targeted to alter disease-related pathways. The work combines biophysics, structural biology, and chemical biology to build a guide for designing loop-targeting drugs. If successful, these insights could help develop precise therapies for conditions driven by loop dysfunction.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could enable design of targeted therapies that modulate disease-driving proteins by binding protein loops.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work showed that covalent ligands can target loops, supporting the potential of this approach, though understanding remains incomplete.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Morgan, Brittany S. — University of Notre Dame
- Study coordinator: Morgan, Brittany S.
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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.