New NIH Grant: Fragment-based drug discovery against oncogenic microRNA precursors using high-throughput crystallog — $528K at Unknown Institution

WHY IT MATTERS

This research could eventually lead to new treatment options for patients with cancers driven by oncogenic microRNAs, potentially offering alternatives when standard therapies fail or aren't suitable.

Scientists are getting $528,000 to develop new cancer-fighting drugs that target microRNA precursors—tiny pieces of genetic material that help cancer cells grow. They're using a technique called fragment-based drug discovery and high-throughput crystallography to design small molecules that can block the production of cancer-causing microRNAs. This research could open up entirely new ways to treat various cancers by targeting structures in cells that were previously thought impossible to drug.

Project: Fragment-based drug discovery against oncogenic microRNA precursors using high-throughput crystallography. PI: GUO, FENG Institution: Unknown Institution Funding: $528K Start Date: 2026-05-07 Abstract: Project Summary Targeting structured RNAs with small molecules dramatically increases the number of potentially “druggable” therapeutic targets, representing a major opportunity for anti-cancer drug discovery. The precursors (pre- miRNAs) of oncogenic microRNAs (oncomiRs) fold into hairpin structures that are recognized and cleaved by microRNA (miRNA) processing enzymes. Thus, the pre-miRNA structures provide binding sites for small molecules that can inhibit the production of specific oncomiRs. Using this strategy, eleven previous studies have identified eighteen diverse small molecules that