Dr. Robert Baiocchi has devoted the past decade to the study of protein arginine N-methyltransferase 5, or PRMT5.

And now, all his hard work is beginning to pay off.

There’s significant evidence that PRMT5 is one of the major activation switches for lymphoma and other types of cancer. Identifying, understanding and eliminating this protein that is found in cancer cells could be the key to saving countless lives.

With the help of the Drug Development Institute of the James, which is supported by Pelotonia funds, Dr. Baiocchi and his team at the James are working on the development of a new drug that shows great promise in combating PRMT5. Pelotonia Grants have also helped fuel his research.

“We know that people with cancers showing a high expression of this (PRMT5) protein don’t have a good outcome,” Dr. Baiocchi said. “But we think we can turn it off.”

He equates PRMT5 inhibition to slamming the brakes on the many pathways that drive lymphoma and other types of cancer.

Without Pelotonia funding, “there would be a high likelihood this research would never have been funded,” Dr. Baiocchi said. “There was very little research on PRMT5 before we got started.”

Now, there’s a lot of PRMT5 research and Dr. Baiocchi and his lab are at the forefront.

“We have developed the first class of drugs that selectively target the PRMT5 enzyme activity in cancer,” he said, adding that Chenglong Li from the OSU College of Pharmacy is a key partner. “At this stage we’re looking for a pharmaceutical partner. Several are interested and once that happens, we’ll find the lead compound and move fast toward clinical trials.”

Clinical trials take several years and cost millions.

“Pelotonia allowed us to develop the intellectual property and synthesize more than 300 compounds,” Dr. Baiocchi said. “If we partner with a pharmaceutical company and are successful, and get FDA approval, the proceeds from the sale of the drug will come back to the James to fund more research. That’s the new model, one where we’re not dependent on the NIH at the start. At the James, you can do it on your own, thanks to Pelotonia.”

In addition to fighting lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes and the body’s immune system, the PRMT5-inhibitor compounds have the potential to combat brain tumors, breast cancer, lung cancer, head and neck cancers and leukemia.

“Once the PRMT5 is gone, a bunch of good genes that it once turned off are turned back on,” Dr. Baiocchi explained, resulting in “tumor cell death.”

Dr. Baiocchi and his team have also identified PRMT5 as a biomarker for Richter’s transformation. This disease is present in about 10 percent of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL, which is the most common form of adult leukemia. Those affected develop an aggressive form of lymphoma. Dr. Baiocchi and Dr. Rosa Lapalombella teamed up to obtain a Pelotonia Idea Grant in which they will investigate how PRMT5 can drive this deadly complication of CLL.

Identifying PRMT5 in patients with Richter’s transformation is the first step in treating this incurable disease. The next step is developing drugs to eliminate the PRMT5, which is what Dr. Baiocchi and his team are working on, with funding from a Pelotonia Idea Grant.

As if all this isn’t enough, Dr. Baiocchi and his team – once again with the help of a Pelotonia Idea Grant – are working on a vaccine for lymphomas caused by the Epstein-Barr virus.

The lesson is simple: Research works.