Washington Research Foundation awards $387K grant to Derrick Hicks of the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design
Derrick Hicks, Ph.D., a researcher in the Baker lab at the University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design (IPD), has received a $387,050 grant by the Washington Research Foundation to develop a cutting-edge technology aimed at mitigating the toxic effects of radiotherapies.
Hicks and his team are working on developing minibinders, small proteins designed to bind targets with extremely high specificity. By attaching a radioactive atom to a minibinder designed to bind to a specific type of cancer cell, the team’s goal is to create therapeutics that are small enough to penetrate the tumor microenvironment, specific enough to exclusively bind to cancer cells, and able to be excreted over time in a nontoxic manner.
“Our goal is to deliver targeted, effective therapies that spare healthy cells while addressing aggressive cancers,” Hicks said. He is also considering spinning out a company from the IPD, which has a proven track record of creating innovative startups in the Pacific Northwest.