# Project 4: Transcriptional Coactivators and Enhancers in Human Cancer

> **NIH NIH P01** · COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY · 2020 · $551,286

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY - PROJECT 4
Emerging evidence has implicated transcriptional coactivators and enhancer elements as having a central role
in the pathogenesis of human cancer. The research outlined in Project 4 will develop transcriptional
coactivators as proteins that support the aberrant capabilities of cancer cells, thus revealing a novel class of
epigenetic drug targets in oncology. This research will explore the role of SWI/SNF and TFIID coactivator
complexes in the pathogenesis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and will identify novel roles for coactivators
in supporting the progression of late-stage Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDA). The first Aim of this
proposal will analyze the anti-leukemia effects of chemical inhibitors of the bromodomain of BRD9, which are
novel compounds we generated in collaboration with Boehringer-Ingelheim. The major objective of this
research will be to develop drug combinations that augment the therapeutic effects of BRD9 inhibition in AML.
This will include use of CRISPR-scanning and domain-focused CRISPR screening, which are recently
developed genetic tools to allow deep mechanistic investigation of endogenous protein complexes and to
reveal opportunities for drug repurposing. This research has a direct potential to motivate clinical studies of
novel drug combinations in AML patient populations. The second Aim will develop the TAF12/TFIID complex
as a novel dependency in AML and reveal its underlying mechanism in supporting oncogene-mediated
leukemic transformation. This will also include identifying suitable routes for direct chemical inhibition of this
complex, an objective that has yet to be achieved in the cancer epigenetics field, largely owing to our
incomplete understanding about how TFIID supports cancer pathogenesis. The third Aim of Project 4 will be to
understand how modulation of nucleosome structure by writers, readers, and erasers of post-translational
histone marks might endow PDA cells with the capacity to undergo metastasis. This will include domain-
focused CRISPR screening to interrogate chromatin regulators that allow distal metastasis in mouse models of
PDA. Since early metastasis is a major contributor to the high mortality of PDA patients, this research may
significantly impact our basic understanding of the lethal form of this disease, and carries the potential for
revealing epigenetic drug targets for this malignancy. Importantly, the research outlined in Project 4 will provide
a deep mechanistic investigation of transcriptional mechanisms that support AML and PDA, which will rely on
extensive use of epigenomic tools (e.g. ChIP-seq-based measurement of enhancer activity), and biochemical
approaches. Project 4 will also feature extensive collaborations with the other Projects and Cores to evaluate
molecular mechanisms and in vivo biology of malignant cells. This basic research will reveal novel
vulnerabilities in lethal malignancies, which could provide new routes for therapy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9851822
- **Project number:** 5P01CA013106-48
- **Recipient organization:** COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY
- **Principal Investigator:** CHRISTOPHER VAKOC
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $551,286
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9851822

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9851822, Project 4: Transcriptional Coactivators and Enhancers in Human Cancer (5P01CA013106-48). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9851822. Licensed CC0.

---

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