NIH-funded research R01 grant

Methods to build and annotate tissue maps from spatial genomic data

Official title: Methods to build and annotate tissue atlases using spatial genomic data

Funded at J. David Gladstone Institutes · NIH-11418363 · Data updated 2026-11-12

Aims to create detailed 3D tissue maps from 2D spatial data to help understand how cells organize in healthy and diseased tissues.

Quick facts

Grant typeR01 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionJ. David Gladstone Institutes
NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (San Francisco, United States)
Project startSeptember 5, 2024
Project endJune 30, 2028
Funding year2026
Award (this year)$829,659
NIH project number5R01HG013736-03
Project IDNIH-11418363 on NIH RePORTER

Who could benefit from this research

Could help

Not a direct patient enrollment study; the project focuses on atlas construction using tissue data.

Less likely to help

No immediate patient participation or direct treatment impact.

What this research studies

This project will develop new methods to turn 2D spatial genomic data into annotated 3D tissue atlases that can be queried for specific coordinates or regions. It will address challenges like small field-of-view, normalization, and cross-sample alignment to integrate spatial data with single-cell data. The resulting atlases will help researchers study how local cell environments influence cell states in adult human tissues, including the brain. The work will use technologies such as MERFISH, Slide-seqV2, MIBI, and histology images to build and annotate the 3D maps.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, patients may benefit from improved understanding of tissue organization and disease biology that could inform future diagnostics or therapies.

How similar studies have gone: Other spatial genomics efforts have shown that spatial context improves understanding of tissue organization and disease.

Where this research is happening

  • J. David Gladstone Institutes
    San Francisco, United States
    Active

Researchers

  • Principal investigator: Engelhardt, Barbara — J. David Gladstone Institutes
  • Study coordinator: Engelhardt, Barbara

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.