Mapping gene activity across many tissue samples to improve cancer understanding
Computational Methods for Emerging Spatially-resolved Transcriptomics with Multiple Samples
Creating computer tools that combine gene maps from many tissue samples so researchers can better spot disease-related changes in cancers and other conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11144506 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project builds new computational methods and open-source software to join spatial gene-expression maps from multiple tissue samples, including long-read RNA data. By analyzing samples together instead of one at a time, the tools can detect subtle changes in where genes are active, how they are spliced, or which allele is expressed in disease. The team will develop scalable algorithms and apply them to existing datasets from cancers and neurodegenerative conditions. The software will be shared so other labs and hospitals can use it to improve molecular understanding of patient tissues.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Patients who donate tumor or other tissue samples for spatial gene-mapping projects, or whose clinical samples are included in research datasets, would be the most relevant candidates.
Not a fit: People looking for an immediate new therapy are unlikely to benefit directly because the grant develops computational methods rather than clinical treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these tools could help researchers find disease-linked molecular changes that lead to better diagnostics or more targeted treatments in the future.
How similar studies have performed: Spatial transcriptomics has produced useful insights, but jointly analyzing multiple samples with long-read sequencing is relatively new and largely untested, making this approach innovative.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hicks, Stephanie Carinne — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Hicks, Stephanie Carinne
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.