FY25 U2D2 seed grant awarded

Introduction

Emrah Er, from the UIC College of Medicine, and Terry Moore, from the UIC Retzky College of Pharmacy, collaborate on a translational drug‑discovery project aimed at developing first‑in‑class inhibitors of ISGylation to block breast cancer metastasis and modulate anti‑tumor immunity. Their partnership integrates Dr. Er’s expertise in cancer metastasis, mechanosurveillance, and immune-tumor interactions with Dr. Moore’s strengths in medicinal chemistry, biophysics, and assay development. With the support of the High-throughput Screening Core and the UICentre, they have established a suite of biophysical and cell-based assays to identify small‑molecule disruptors of the ISG15-UBA7 interaction. This collaboration positions their teams to pursue the development of chemical probes and drug discovery initiatives.