Second FY26 Launch Seed Grant Awarded

Researchers at UIC are developing new medicines that target HDAC6, a protein implicated in the nerve cell damage associated with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease. Dr. Wardrop’s laboratory is designing a new generation of selective HDAC6 inhibitors, while Dr. Li’s laboratory is evaluating these compounds in human stem cell-based models of CMT to determine whether they can prevent nerve degeneration. Together, the team is integrating medicinal chemistry and disease modeling to advance the most promising candidates toward preclinical development. Their long-term goal is to deliver a safer and more effective therapy for patients with CMT, an inherited neuromuscular disorder for which there is currently no treatment that can halt disease progression.