NIH Grant Fuels Drug Interaction Database

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

NIH grant will fund the examination of 1,400 FDA-approved drugs with 30 epigenetic modifying enzymes.

Reaction Biology Corp has been awarded a Phase I SBIR grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences to create a database of epigenetic drug interactions. The grant supports an examination of the interaction of over 1,400 FDA-approved drugs and drug-like compounds with over 30 epigenetic modifying enzymes. Reaction Biology Corp’s year-long project is scheduled to start immediately.

Epigenetic enzymes control the mechanics of genetic expression, acting as "on" and "off" switches for the human genome. Malfunctions of these enzymes are implicated in a number of cancer, immunological, and neurodegenerative conditions. Understanding these mechanism and their malfunctions can explain why one person with a genetic disposition to a certain type of cancer may become sick while another with the same genetic marker may stay healthy.

The project will assay a library of 1,400 compounds, including almost every FDA-approved drug, and against over thirty epigenetic enzymes, a total of over 42,000 individual experiments. The resulting data will generate a road map researchers can use in creating new drug compounds to combat conditions with known epigenetic mediators. In addition, the study hopes to shed new light on the mechanisms of side effects of known drugs, and possibly give direction for "repurposing" existing drugs for new treatments.

Chief Science Officer of RBC and Principal Investigator of the study, Dr. Haiching Ma, said, "This project will represent the first systematic look at how current pharmaceuticals affect epigenetic function. The potential exists for some exciting developments as a result. We're very pleased that NCATS saw the same potential in this project as we did."