# How HSP90 shapes genotype-phenotype relationships to alter treatment outcome in cancer

> **NIH NIH K22** · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · 2020 · $192,228

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Cancers evolve through the sequential acquisition of mutations that collectively perturb cellular homeostasis
thereby unleashing havoc. How do these deranged cells survive, form tumors, amass additional deleterious
mutations and acquire resistance to therapies? I propose to tackle these important questions using a novel
approach founded on principles of protein folding. My work has demonstrated that the protein-folding
chaperone heat-shock protein 90 (HSP90) alleviates or “buffers” the deleterious biological effects of human
mutations. In doing so, HSP90 alters cellular drug sensitivities and influences the clinical course of diverse
Mendelian disorders. Here, I hypothesize that by buffering mutations, HSP90 enables tumor cells to thwart
cancer therapies. The proposed work will determine how HSP90, acting epigenetically, alters the
consequences of specific DNA repair mutations in cancers, and how HSP90 buffering influences tumor
responses to genotoxic therapies. I will directly address these questions by measuring the effects of malignant
transformation itself on HSP90's ability to buffer mutations in DNA repair proteins. I will determine the ability of
HSP90 to buffer a panel of well-characterized mutants in the Fanconi Anemia (FA) DNA repair pathway, using
cell lines transformed in vitro by transduction with defined oncogenic elements, and using genetically
engineered FA patient-derived cancer cell lines. As a therapeutically relevant complement to these studies, I
will also investigate the role of HSP90 in buffering mutant DNA repair proteins and how HSP90 helps shape
tumor responses to genotoxic drugs. I will employ a high-throughput functional genetics approach to parse
clinical cancers based on the presence of HSP90-buffered vs. non-buffered mutations (defined by my recently
published and ongoing work) in DNA repair proteins. Results will be correlated with clinical outcome following
standard-of-care treatment with genotoxic drugs. This K22 award will help me secure the funds for an
independent position at a leading institution, establish a record of independent research, and generate
preliminary data for the R01 phase of my career. It will also provide me with training in cancer biology and
patient-oriented research skillsets that will help me compete for a broader spectrum of funding opportunities.
The work I propose will determine how the influence of HSP90 on the accumulation of mutations evolves as
cancers progress and how its evolving role enables the emergence of drug resistance. Results will provide a
theoretical framework permitting the identification and use of HSP90-buffered mutations for patient
stratification. This will contribute to the design of individualized treatments likely to provide the most benefit,
including the use of existing HSP90 inhibitors in non-conventional ways. Thus, this work will provide important
insights into fundamental mechanisms of tumor evolution as well as pioneer a strategy for impro...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9433259
- **Project number:** 1K22CA222938-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Georgios Karras
- **Activity code:** K22 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $192,228
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-02-05 → 2023-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9433259

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9433259, How HSP90 shapes genotype-phenotype relationships to alter treatment outcome in cancer (1K22CA222938-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9433259. Licensed CC0.

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