Understanding how individual cells and their genes differ across tissues
Official title: Decoding Cellular Heterogeneity and Gene Regulation Using Single-Cell and Spatial Omics
Funded at Texas A&m University · NIH-11329570 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Scientists are building computer tools that read molecular details of individual cells and their positions in tissue to help explain diseases such as cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Texas A&m University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (College Station, United States) |
| Project start | September 5, 2020 |
| Project end | February 28, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $404,421 |
| NIH project number | 2R35GM138342-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11329570 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people who can donate tumor or other tissue samples or who consent to sequencing and longitudinal sampling, especially patients with cancers where multi-region or time-course sampling is possible.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who cannot or will not provide tissue or sequencing data, or whose condition is unrelated to the tissues being studied, are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
This project builds statistical and computational tools to extract detailed molecular information from single cells and map where those cells sit inside tissues. The team will combine single-cell, spatial, and bulk sequencing data, including tumor samples taken from different regions or times, to find genetic changes, map cell diversity, and trace how diseased cells evolve. They will also study links between DNA repair processes and the body’s circadian clock at single-cell resolution. For patients, this work may use existing clinical tissue and sequencing data and could make it easier for future studies and trials to target specific cell types or disease stages.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these tools could reveal the specific cell types and genetic changes driving disease and help guide more precise diagnoses and targeted treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Related single-cell and spatial omics studies have already provided valuable disease insights, and this project aims to extend those advances with new scalable and more accurate computational methods.
Where this research is happening
-
Texas A&m University
College Station, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jiang, Yuchao — Texas A&m University
- Study coordinator: Jiang, Yuchao
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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.