# Chemical and Light-Inducible Multiplex Epigenome Editing

> **NIH NIH R21** · CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $193,945

## Abstract

Project Summary
The objective of this proposal is to develop new tools to independently and spatiotemporally manipulate
distinct epigenetic regulatory mechanisms at defined gene loci. Epigenetic modifications and chromatin
structures regulate gene activity. Alteration of epigenetic pathways and mutations in epigenetic regulators
contribute to many developmental diseases and cancers. DNA methylation and histone modification have been
shown to play important roles in gene activation. Several studies suggest that these epigenetic pathways are
orchestrated to regulate activity-gene expression. However, current methods are limited to precisely dissect
the functional relationship between these distinct epigenetic regulatory mechanisms. To address this limitation,
we propose to develop unique chemical and light inducible methods that integrate dCas9/gRNA-guided
targeting with the chemically induced proximity (CIP) technology to individually or simultaneously control
different layers of epigenetic regulations (e.g., H3K27 acetylation and DNA demethylation). We will use this
new technology to study their functional interplays and test multiplex epigenetic editing in the epigenome. After
finishing this work, we expect to establish unique tools that will significantly contribute to the studies of
epigenetic regulation in gene activation and offer new directions in developing new epigenetic-based therapies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9978089
- **Project number:** 5R21HG010673-02
- **Recipient organization:** CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Fu-Sen Liang
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $193,945
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-07-15 → 2021-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9978089

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9978089, Chemical and Light-Inducible Multiplex Epigenome Editing (5R21HG010673-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9978089. Licensed CC0.

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