Protein–RNA interactions in cancer
Official title: Protein-RNA interactions in cancer
Funded at University of California Santa Cruz · NIH-11464321 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study to understand how a protein called IGF2BP3 affects RNA and metabolism in cancers, including high-risk acute leukemia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Santa Cruz NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Santa Cruz, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2021 |
| Project end | July 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $688,625 |
| NIH project number | 2R01CA264986-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11464321 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with high IGF2BP3-expressing cancers, including acute leukemias, could benefit from future therapies arising from this work.
✕Less likely to help
No immediate patient benefit until later translational steps; early-stage basic science.
What this research studies
This grant explores how IGF2BP3 binds RNA and influences cancer cell growth and survival, and how metabolism and RNA modifications are connected to cancer progression. Scientists will use biochemical and advanced RNA-binding techniques to map interactions and understand how these signals drive malignancy. The work aims to reveal new molecular links between metabolism and post-transcriptional gene control that could point to new therapeutic strategies for cancer patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the research could identify new targets to slow or stop the growth of certain cancers.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research showed IGF2BP3 supports leukemia development, indicating that studying its RNA interactions has potential for meaningful advances.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sanford, Jeremy Robert — University of California Santa Cruz
- Study coordinator: Sanford, Jeremy Robert
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Unlocking the full power of long-read DNA sequencing
A science team is improving long-read sequencing tools so researchers can get complete gene and transcript information from human and mouse tissues with easier, high-accuracy methods.
-
Mess-free detection: a robust, antibody-free platform for multiplexed protein tests
This grant explores a new, highly stable designer protein and luciferase system to detect proteins at the point of care without antibodies, using multiple signals for better diagnostics.
-
Understanding how jellyfish eyes develop and regrow to learn about regeneration
Scientists are studying jellyfish to map how their eyes form and repair themselves, hoping to uncover clues that could someday help human medicine.
-
Understanding how variant histones influence cancer-related chromatin behavior
This NIH grant will map how histone variants interact with other proteins to influence chromatin and cancer-related processes.
-
New ways to compare thousands of human and vertebrate genomes
Aims to build scalable genome comparison tools and new formats to analyze genomes from thousands of species, with a focus on human and neurodevelopmental regions relevant to autism.
-
Dockstore: A smarter platform to share and reproduce computational biology tools
A in-depth platform update to help scientists share, find, and reuse computational tools for genomics and biomedicine, making methods more reproducible for patients and researchers.
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.