Hao Nie, PhD

2025 Mentored Investigator Grant

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Project Summary
Resistance to PARP inhibitors, such as Olaparib, presents a critical challenge in managing epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). My research indicates that this resistance may arise due to an acidic tumor microenvironment. I’ve found that targeting the epigenetic regulator p300 protein can effectively counteract this resistance induced by the acidic tumor microenvironment. My study aims to develop a novel combinatory therapeutic strategy by integrating a p300 inhibitor, IACS16559, with a PARP inhibitor, olaparib. This approach seeks to improve efficacy and/or overcome resistance to PARP inhibitors in EOCs with homologous recombination deficiency such as those caused by BRCA mutations.

This grant was made possible in part by a generous donation from the Mike and Patti Hennessy Foundation.

Bio
Dr. Hao Nie is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Rugang Zhang’s laboratory within the Department of Experimental Therapeutics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Zhejiang University under the mentorship of Dr. Wen Yi. During his doctoral research, Dr. Nie explored the relationship between protein glycosylation and cancer metabolism. In 2021, he joined Dr. Zhang’s lab, where he uses genome-wide approaches to identify therapeutic targets for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) based on epigenetic and genetic alterations. His current research focuses on uncovering the mechanisms of resistance to PARP inhibitors in EOCs with BRCA mutations.

Supported by the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, Dr. Nie’s goal is to develop a novel strategy to overcome PARP inhibitor resistance induced by the acidic tumor microenvironment.