Award
National Cancer Institute 1OT2CA320062-01
WP2 - Define and Synthesize
Recipient
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
Award Amount
$839,584.00
Ceiling
$839,584.00
Awarded
June 11, 2026
Identifier
1OT2CA320062-01
This award funds a project to identify DNA adducts responsible for unexplained mutational signatures in cancer, using advanced technologies to link DNA damage to mutations, aiming to improve cancer understanding and treatment.
Description
Cancer Grand Challenges Connecting DNA Adducts, Unexplained Mutational Signatures, and Cancer Etiologies (CAUSE). The project aims to understand unexplained mutational signatures by identifying specific DNA adducts and linking them to mutations. It will build a high-throughput discovery platform integrating chemistry, biology, genomics, and cutting-edge technologies, focusing on endogenous processes, environmental exposures, and chemotherapy-induced DNA adducts. Methods include mass spectrometry, structural characterization, genome-wide lesion mapping, single-molecule reporter assays, biochemical perturbations, genetic perturbations, and AI modeling. The impact will be a mechanistic atlas linking DNA adducts to mutational signatures, enabling causal attribution, clarifying age- and exposure-related mutagenesis, and advancing cancer prevention, diagnosis, and care.