# Computational Approaches for Studying Transcription Elongation Control in Cancer

> **NIH NIH R50** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $144,392

## Abstract

Project Summary
The goal of this proposal is to provide bioinformatics support to advance research into the misregulation of
transcription elongation in oncogenesis. For example, translocation of the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene
with a variety of genes expressing regulators of transcription elongation result in acute myeloid or acute lymphoid
leukemia. Many of these factors are subunits of the Super Elongation Complex (SEC), which can enhance
transcription elongation by two submodules: the positive regulator of transcription factor b (P-TEFb), which
signals for the release of paused Pol II, and the RNA processivity factor ELL. A common denominator of these
projects is the need for meticulous, biologically relevant computational analysis, which ultimately have several
functions: decoding next generation sequencing data into a useful set of findings, combining data from multiple
experimental platforms for a multi-dimensional perspective, and integrating machine learning approaches to
extract data-specific signatures. These functions serve the goal of helping researchers, beginning with study
design, data analysis, and further hypothesis building, to advance our understanding of cancer biology and to
help evaluate cancer therapeutics. Dr. Iwanaszko will be responsible for implementing these approaches and
providing expertise in both bioinformatics and computational biology to support cancer biologists in extracting
more information from their data, speeding up the analysis, and to maintain a high standard of scientific rigor
and reproducibility.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10697319
- **Project number:** 5R50CA265372-02
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Marta Iwanaszko
- **Activity code:** R50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $144,392
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-05 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10697319

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10697319, Computational Approaches for Studying Transcription Elongation Control in Cancer (5R50CA265372-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10697319. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*