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Last Updated: 03/24/2023

NCI Webinar Series: Novel Chemical Approaches for Targeting Fusion Oncoproteins

The recordings of the individual webinars are posted below.

NCI Webinar Series: Novel Chemical Approaches for Targeting Fusion Oncoproteins

Overview

A joint effort between DCTD's Developmental Therapeutics Program and NCI's Division of Cancer Biology, this webinar series enhanced understanding within the NCI and the research community of opportunities for targeting fusion oncoproteins through emerging chemoproteomic methods.

Background and Research Challenge

Research has advanced our understanding of the biology underpinning pediatric fusion oncoproteins. For example, menin inhibitors for KMT2A-rearranged leukemias achieved proof-of-concept for the blockade of transcription factor fusion oncoprotein action, and agents targeting the menin-MLL protein-protein interaction are in clinical testing. However, current progress towards targeting additional transcriptional factor fusion oncoproteins has been limited. Consequently, the absence of small molecule therapeutics targeting fusion oncoproteins limits improvement in outcomes for pediatric patients with cancer.

Opportunities

Expanding chemoproteomic tools and capabilities creates opportunities for progress in directly targeting fusion oncoproteins and/or their critical dependencies. The External Scientific Advisory Committee for the Cancer Moonshot-funded Fusion Oncoproteins in Childhood Cancers (FusOnC2) Consortium highlighted this point in its recommendations to the NCI.

Webinar Series Highlights

This webinar series addressed the challenges and opportunities in the field by highlighting:

  • Innovative screening platforms to identify new targets and novel chemical matter
  • Emerging strategies for developing chemical degraders and irreversible inhibitors, including use of computational based and AI tools to facilitate their molecular design
  • Successes in translating candidates identified from target-based and phenotypic approaches

Webinar Recordings

Session Information Link to Recording
Session I - August 19

Brandon Turunen, PhD, GSK
Chemical Biology Platforms to Drug the Undruggable

NCI Moderator - Sharad Verma, PhD
Recording External Link
Session II - August 26

Angela Koehler, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Attenuating Oncogenic Transcription

NCI Moderator - Malcolm Smith, MD, PhD
Recording External Link
Session III - September 9

John "Jay" Schneekloth Jr, PhD, NCI
Tools and Tactics for Targeting RNA with Small Molecules

NCI Moderator - Joel Morris, PhD
Recording External Link
Session IV - September 16

Fleur Ferguson, PhD, University of California, San Diego
Application of Targeted Protein Degradation to Fusion Oncoproteins

NCI Moderator - Sharad Verma, PhD
Recording External Link
Session V - September 23

Zoran Rankovic, PhD, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Targeted Oncoprotein Degradation for the Treatment of Pediatric Cancers

NCATS Moderator - Craig Thomas, PhD
Recording External Link
Session VI - September 30

Huan Rui, PhD, Amgen
Computational Tools and Strategies for Rational Degrader Design

NCATS Moderator - Min Shen, PhD
Recording External Link
Session VII - October 7

Tomek Cierpicki, PhD, University of Michigan
Development of NSD1 Inhibitors Targeting NUp98-NSD1 Fusion Leukemia

NCI Moderator - Morgan O'Hayre, PhD
Recording External Link
Session VIII - October 14

Matthew Disney, PhD, UF Scripps Biomedical Research
Ribonuclease Targeting Chimeras for the Selective Targeting of Oncogenic RNAs

NCI Moderator - Sundar Venkatachalam, PhD
Recording External Link
Session IX - October 21

Paul Workman, PhD, FRS, FMedSci, Institute of Cancer Research, UK
Discovery of Clinical Cancer Drug Candidates by the Target-Based Approach and Phenotypic Screening

NCI Moderator - Beverly Teicher, PhD
Recording External Link

Contact: Sharad Verma sharad.verma@nih.gov, or Keren Witkin keren.witkin@nih.gov