Data-powered models to guide how blood and eye tissues form and respond to treatment
Official title: Network models of differentiation landscapes for angiogenesis and hematopoiesis
Funded at Michigan State University · NIH-11389550 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A researcher team at Michigan State University is building data-driven math models to understand how blood and eye cells differentiate and how drugs might influence this process.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Michigan State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (East Lansing, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $374,715 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM149261-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11389550 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with conditions related to angiogenesis or hematopoietic processes, and researchers who can contribute biological data.
✕Less likely to help
Direct patient benefits may be limited to future translational work; current research is computational and data-driven.
What this research studies
This project uses single-cell gene data and a Hopfield-based mathematical framework to map how cells decide their fate. It aims to simulate how perturbing certain genes could steer cell differentiation, with a focus on angiogenesis and hematopoiesis. The goal is to generate interpretable predictions that could point to new drug targets and inform future pre-clinical and clinical studies. The work plans to connect existing biological knowledge with computational models to explore how cell states change under different conditions. The anticipated impact is a framework that supports in-silico experiments to inform therapies for conditions like age-related macular degeneration and other related diseases.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from clearer targets for therapies that control blood vessel growth and blood cell development.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work using similar data-driven attractor concepts has shown promise in interpreting cell fate decisions, though applying this approach to angiogenesis and hematopoiesis is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Michigan State University
East Lansing, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Piermarocchi, Carlo — Michigan State University
- Study coordinator: Piermarocchi, Carlo
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.