Understanding how DNA methylation works in cancer cells
Official title: Establishing and Interpreting Abnormal DNA Methylation in Cancer
Funded at Van Andel Research Institute · NIH-11349766 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are studying how a key DNA-modifying enzyme, DNMT3A, works inside living cancer and normal cells to influence brain development, body size, and blood cell formation.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Van Andel Research Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Grand Rapids, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2017 |
| Project end | June 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,118,737 |
| NIH project number | 5R35CA209859-11 |
| Project ID | NIH-11349766 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants include cancer patients or individuals with hematopoietic or brain-related conditions where DNMT3A pathways are implicated, or those contributing tissue or cells for research.
✕Less likely to help
People with cancers not involving DNMT3A-related methylation alterations may have limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project will explore how DNMT3A interacts with chromatin in living cells, using new cryo-EM findings and a mouse model to study the DNMT3A2 isoform that is often overexpressed in solid cancers. It combines biochemistry, structural biology, cell biology, and mouse studies to map how DNMT3A2 and its partner DNMT3B3 recognize nucleosomes and regulate DNA methylation. The goal is to gain a precise picture of how methylation is established in chromatin contexts, which could illuminate why cancers acquire DNA methylation changes. Outcomes from this work could illuminate new targets for therapies that correct methylation patterns in cancer cells.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Better understanding of DNA methylation in cancer could lead to new approaches to diagnose or treat cancers with DNMT3A-related methylation changes.
How similar studies have gone: Similar structural and biochemical studies have advanced understanding of DNA methylation in cancer, with early translational potential but ongoing challenges.
Where this research is happening
-
Van Andel Research Institute
Grand Rapids, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jones, Peter a — Van Andel Research Institute
- Study coordinator: Jones, Peter a
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.