Stopping genes that drive breast and pancreatic cancers
Official title: Project 1: Targeting Oncogenic Transcription Factors
Funded at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory · NIH-11294225 · Data updated 2026-11-12
The project tests ways to shut down gene switches (like KLF5 and YAP/TEAD) that help breast and pancreatic cancer cells grow, using patient-derived tissue models.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cold Spring Harbor, United States) |
| Project start | February 10, 1997 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $411,429 |
| NIH project number | 5P01CA013106-54 |
| Project ID | NIH-11294225 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be people with breast or pancreatic carcinoma who can provide tumor tissue for organoid models or whose tumor shows high activity of KLF5 or YAP/TAZ pathways.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose tumors do not depend on these transcription factors or who cannot provide tissue samples are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
This work focuses on specific cancer gene switches that are hard to drug and aims to reveal how they depend on other enzymes so new treatments can be designed. Scientists use modern genetic 'double knockout' screens, epigenomic and epistasis experiments, biochemical assays, and a bank of patient-derived organoids to study responses. The team will test whether blocking kinases such as MARK2/3 or other mechanisms can stop YAP/TAZ- or KLF5-driven tumor growth and identify biomarkers of sensitivity. Results are meant to point toward new drug strategies that could be developed into treatments for people with these cancers.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new targeted treatments for breast and pancreatic cancers that rely on these gene switches.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical studies have shown that targeting YAP/TAZ-related dependencies can work in lab models, but translating these findings into effective drugs remains largely unproven and is still novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cold Spring Harbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Vakoc, Christopher — Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
- Study coordinator: Vakoc, Christopher
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.