# Project 2: Aquatic Cyanobacteria Plant Collections

> **NIH NIH P01** · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $325,333

## Abstract

The overarching goal of this Program Project proposal is to discover natural products that can serve as
anticancer drug leads from diverse natural sources. Project 2, located at the College of Pharmacy, University of
Illinois at Chicago (UIC), is comprised of botanical, chemical and biological elements. The primary goals for
Project 2 are the discovery of new lead anticancer compounds from cyanobacteria and providing tropical plant
material for Project 1, housed at The Ohio State University (OSU). The underlying hypothesis for Project 2
is that the diverse natural product structures from cultured non-marine cyanobacteria and tropical plants
will be a rich source for anticancer leads. To achieve the stated goals the specific aims for Project 2 are as
follows: 1) to obtain, culture, extract, and prepare fractions of cyanobacterial strains, and to sequence
the genome of selected strains. We will obtain 100 cyanobacterial strains per year. The strain collection will
focus on samples collected in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the U.S. Each strain will be cultured,
extracted, fractionated, and provided for biological evaluation in the biological test systems available at Core 1
and Project 1 as well as our external providers of bioassays. As a complementary and integrated approach, we
will sequence and genome mine the genomes of 20 strains per year and strains will be selected for sequencing
based on a) promising biological activity; and b) prioritization based on chemotaxonomy or PCR screen. 2) To
isolate and determine the structures of active cyanobacterial metabolites, and to improve yields of lead
compounds. Extracts showing promising activity will be fractionated using activity-monitored fractionation to
obtain pure natural product(s). The structurally characterized, active isolates will be extensively evaluated in the
biological test systems available to the program. We will re-isolate larger amounts of any candidate compound.
In order to improve yields, when necessary, we will evaluate different cultivation conditions, and explore
heterologous expression of the biosynthetic gene cluster of lead compounds, which will serve to provide an
alternative source for production. 3) To acquire all plant materials that will be required by the proposed
Program Project. We will obtain 150 fully documented and identified plant samples per year from selected
countries of the world. The dried and milled plant material will be provided to Project 1 for further processing.
We will also re-collect plant material for larger-scale isolation of active compounds requiring more detailed
biological evaluation as needed.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10165646
- **Project number:** 5P01CA125066-12
- **Recipient organization:** OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** JIMMY ORJALA
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $325,333
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2007-07-01 → 2025-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10165646

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10165646, Project 2: Aquatic Cyanobacteria Plant Collections (5P01CA125066-12). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10165646. Licensed CC0.

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