How lung and blood cells change as we age
Dissecting the cellular and spatial tissue clock of the human lung and peripheral blood
They are mapping how cell types in the lungs and blood change with age to spot targets that might protect older adults' lung health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11330508 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project will use high-resolution gene-reading tools (single-cell RNA sequencing) and spatial transcriptomics to map cells in the human lung and peripheral blood across different ages. Samples come from hundreds of mainly healthy donors integrated into the Human Lung Cell Atlas, allowing comparisons across age groups. Advanced machine learning will look for age-related shifts in cell types, signaling pathways, and immune activity that could point to new treatment targets. The team will validate their computer models by measuring where specific cells sit within lung tissue and how those spatial patterns change with age.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants would be healthy volunteers and donors across a wide age range, including older adults willing to provide blood or lung tissue samples through clinical or donor programs.
Not a fit: People seeking an immediate treatment or those with acute, severe lung illness are unlikely to benefit directly from this basic-mapping research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify new targets to slow lung aging and reduce older adults' risk of respiratory disease.
How similar studies have performed: Single-cell atlases in other organs have revealed age-related changes, but applying large-scale spatial transcriptomics to lung aging at this depth is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tsankov, Alexander Minchev — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Tsankov, Alexander Minchev
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 below.