Targeting PRMT5 to improve treatment for triple-negative breast cancer
Official title: Characterizing and targeting PRMT5 in autophagy for cancer treatment
Funded at Case Western Reserve University · NIH-11416217 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project seeks to help people with triple-negative breast cancer by blocking a protein called PRMT5 and changing cell 'self-cleaning' (autophagy) so treatments work better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Case Western Reserve University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cleveland, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $345,412 |
| NIH project number | 7R01CA266522-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11416217 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for future clinical work would be people with triple-negative breast cancer, particularly those whose tumors show high PRMT5 levels.
✕Less likely to help
People with non–triple-negative breast cancer subtypes or tumors lacking PRMT5 overexpression are less likely to benefit from this specific approach.
What this research studies
If you or a loved one has triple-negative breast cancer, this project focuses on a protein called PRMT5 that is often high in these tumors and linked to worse outcomes. Researchers will use TNBC cell lines and lab models to study how PRMT5 is controlled (including modification by TRAF6) and how it suppresses autophagy. They will test PRMT5-blocking drugs alone and together with drugs that affect autophagy to find combinations that kill TNBC cells more effectively. The work aims to produce lab data that could guide future clinical trials for people with TNBC.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new combination therapies that make PRMT5 inhibitors more effective for people with triple-negative breast cancer.
How similar studies have gone: PRMT5 inhibitors are already in clinical trials and show early promise, but combining PRMT5 inhibition with autophagy-targeting therapies is a novel approach that has not been fully tested clinically.
Where this research is happening
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Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gan, Wenjian — Case Western Reserve University
- Study coordinator: Gan, Wenjian
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.