# Safer Approaches to CRC Chemoprevention

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR · 2020 · $424,881

## Abstract

Project Summary
The major purpose of this proposed research is to develop mechanistically based, effective, and
safer agents for colorectal cancer (CRC) chemoprevention.
Every year, about 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC), the second leading
cause of cancer-related mortality in the US. About 1.35 million new CRC cases are diagnosed worldwide,
highlighting that CRC is a major health problem. Evidence from our group and others suggests that NSAIDs
and select COX-2 inhibitors show significant inhibitory effects in preclinical models and patients with CRC,
but these inhibitors are also associated with gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity and cardiovascular (CV) risk.
Reasons for these risks include increased 5-LOX metabolites and reduced PGI2 synthesis. Thus,
selectively targeting microsomal PG Synthase-1 (mPGES-1) and 5-LOX would block the protumorigenic
PGE2/prothrombotic LTs, but spare the PGI2. This approach is ideal for developing efficient and safer CRC
chemopreventive agents. Toward this end, through high-throughput and enzyme kinetics assays and short-
term in vivo efficacy studies, we have discovered a novel dual mPGES-1 /5-LOX inhibitor, CDPDPA. In this
proposal, we seek to further develop CDPDPA for CRC chemoprevention. We have designed the research
strategies to assess the pharmaco-dynamic dose-response efficacy, understand the role of mPGES-1/5-
LOX, improve efficacy and safety through combinatorial approaches, and evaluate CV risk, if any, of
CDPDPA compared with COX-2 inhibitor. We have assembled a team with expertise in CRC
chemoprevention and cardivascular research to undertake following aims. 1). Determine whether targeting
both mPGES-1 and 5-LOX with CDPDPA is efficacious in AOM-induced rat colon adenocarcinoma
treatment; 2) Determine the source and relative contribution of mPGES-1 and 5-LOX to colon tumor
developmen;t 3). Determine whether combinational targeting of mPGES-1/5-LOX with statin would improve
the colon tumor inhibition efficacy and reduce cardiovascular side effects compared with celecoxib, and;
4). Determine the potential CV risk, if any, of long-term administration of CDPDPA compared with Celecoxib
in LDLr-/-ApoB100/100 mice. The completion of this project will significantly improve the safety and efficacy of
this novel drug for the prevention and treatment of CRC.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9828775
- **Project number:** 5R01CA213987-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Chinthalapally V. Rao
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $424,881
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-12-15 → 2021-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9828775

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9828775, Safer Approaches to CRC Chemoprevention (5R01CA213987-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9828775. Licensed CC0.

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