New drugs to block the cancer-linked protein CBX8
Development of inhibitors to selectively target the CBX8 chromatin reader domain
Researchers are making improved drugs that block a protein called CBX8 to help people with certain leukemias and other cancers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Purdue University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (West Lafayette, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11307551 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The team will use large DNA-encoded chemical libraries to find molecules that bind specifically to the CBX8 chromodomain, a protein that helps turn off genes and can drive cancer. Chemists will modify promising hits to improve how well they get into cells and how selectively they target CBX8 over related proteins. The best compounds will be tested in laboratory models of MLL-AF9 leukemia and other cancer models to see if they can stop cancer cell growth. Successful lab compounds could then be advanced toward animal testing and, eventually, early human trials.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with cancers that show high CBX8 activity, especially certain leukemias like MLL-AF9-positive leukemia, would be the most relevant candidates for future trials emerging from this work.
Not a fit: Patients whose tumors do not depend on CBX8 or who have cancers unrelated to CBX8-driven pathways are unlikely to benefit from CBX8-targeted drugs.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could produce targeted drugs that slow or stop growth of cancers driven by CBX8 and help overcome chemotherapy resistance.
How similar studies have performed: Related efforts have produced selective inhibitors for other CBX proteins and early CBX8 inhibitors worked in lab leukemia models but had poor cell permeability, so this project builds on promising but incomplete prior results.
Where this research is happening
West Lafayette, United States
- Purdue University — West Lafayette, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dykhuizen, Emily Carla — Purdue University
- Study coordinator: Dykhuizen, Emily Carla
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.