New drugs to overcome chemotherapy-resistant prostate cancer
Official title: Targeting chemoresistant prostate cancer with novel EED inhibitors
Funded at Clark Atlanta University · NIH-11326768 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Developing EED-blocking drugs to try to reverse chemotherapy resistance in men with advanced prostate cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Clark Atlanta University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2022 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $434,940 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA256058-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11326768 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
The most relevant patients would be men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have developed resistance to docetaxel chemotherapy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without prostate cancer, those with early localized prostate cancer not treated with chemotherapy, or people whose tumors do not rely on the EED-EZH2 pathway are unlikely to benefit from this work in the near term.
What this research studies
This project designs and makes hundreds of new molecules that block the EED protein, which lab studies suggest helps resistant prostate cancer survive chemotherapy. Researchers will test promising compounds in chemoresistant prostate cancer cells and in animal models to see which ones kill the resistant cancer. Lead compounds will undergo safety and drug-property testing (pharmacokinetics, ADME, and toxicity) under GLP and non-GLP conditions. The goal is to pick one or two lead candidates to move toward clinical development.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could produce new drugs that restore sensitivity to chemotherapy or directly kill chemo-resistant prostate cancer cells.
How similar studies have gone: EED/EZH2-targeting is an emerging strategy with encouraging preclinical results but has not yet been proven effective in patients.
Where this research is happening
-
Clark Atlanta University
Atlanta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wu, Daqing — Clark Atlanta University
- Study coordinator: Wu, Daqing
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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.