Understanding How Iron-Dependent Enzymes Make Pharmacophores in Drugs
Official title: Understanding How Nonheme Iron-Dependent Enzymes Assemble Pharmacophores: Studies of Cyclopropane, Aziridine, and Isonitrile Formation
Funded at North Carolina State University Raleigh · NIH-11359741 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are studying how certain iron-loving enzymes make small, drug-like building blocks to help design better medicines.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | North Carolina State University Raleigh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Raleigh, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2018 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $405,445 |
| NIH project number | 5R01GM127588-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11359741 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable; this is a basic science grant focusing on enzyme function rather than a patient population.
✕Less likely to help
No direct patient impact in the current scope.
What this research studies
This project looks at non-heme iron enzymes that use 2-oxoglutarate to perform complex chemical transformations. By combining bioinformatics and how-enzymes-work analyses, researchers will find enzymes that create cyclopropane, aziridine, and isonitrile groups—common in many medicines. The work aims to map how these enzymes assemble these pharmacophores and how they can be harnessed for biocatalysis and synthesis of new drug candidates. The project builds on prior data to identify enzyme candidates and test their activities in controlled experiments. Results could enable more efficient and selective ways to build drug molecules.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the research could enable new biocatalytic routes to make complex pharmaceutical building blocks more efficiently.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows Fe/2OG enzymes can catalyze diverse reactions, supporting potential for novel biocatalysis approaches.
Where this research is happening
-
North Carolina State University Raleigh
Raleigh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chang, Wei-Chen — North Carolina State University Raleigh
- Study coordinator: Chang, Wei-Chen
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.