PIP Core: Smart small molecules to study proteins
Official title: Probes, Inhibitors, and PROTACs (PIP) Core
Funded at University of Nebraska Medical Center · NIH-11411448 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A patient-friendly look at a program that develops tiny molecules to study proteins and how they work in the body, helping scientists understand disease targets.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Nebraska Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Omaha, United States) |
| Project start | March 16, 2018 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $136,716 |
| NIH project number | 5P20GM121316-09 |
| Project ID | NIH-11411448 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with conditions linked to the proteins and pathways studied (e.g., proteasome-related processes) could benefit from future therapies developed using this research.
✕Less likely to help
This core is a foundational scientific resource; individual patients may not directly receive a treatment from this grant.
What this research studies
The PIP Core works on designing and making small molecules that can tune a protein’s function or even remove it from cells, which helps researchers learn how diseases develop and respond to treatments. The project uses chemistry and mass spectrometry to identify targets and validate how drugs interact with them, aiming for precise, time-controlled effects. Scientists can tag these molecules with light or fluorescent markers to see how they behave and which partners they interact with in the cell. The core also offers small-scale production to support additional experiments that advance target discovery and validation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could speed the identification of new drug targets and improve our understanding of how protein-based therapies work, potentially guiding future treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows that small-molecule modulators and PROTACs can reveal target biology and aid drug development, though the field remains complex and evolving.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Natarajan, Amarnath (Amar) — University of Nebraska Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Natarajan, Amarnath (Amar)
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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.