Understanding how sex hormones and genes affect heart damage from radiation
Official title: Elucidating Sex Differences in Radiation-induced Cardiotoxicity with Cell Village iPSCs
Funded at Stanford University · NIH-11390999 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant tests how estrogen and genetic differences influence who gets heart damage after radiation, using patient-derived heart cells and animal models.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project start | July 19, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $533,448 |
| NIH project number | 5U01AI183953-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11390999 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals with or at risk for radiation exposure or cardiotoxicity who are willing to provide iPSC samples and participate in genetic analyses.
✕Less likely to help
People not connected to radiation exposure or those who do not contribute genetic or iPSC samples may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
Researchers will create 3D heart-like tissues from stem cells from about 200 people and expose them to estrogen and radiation to see how responses vary. They will use single-cell and genomic analyses to map how different individuals' cells react at the molecular level. Animal models will help confirm the findings and connect them to whole-organism outcomes. The study aims to uncover why some people are more susceptible to radiation-induced heart injury and how sex and genetics contribute to risk.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to personalized risk assessment and prevention strategies for radiation-induced heart damage.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research using stem cell-derived heart tissues and multi-omics has shown that sex and genetics can influence cardiac responses, supporting potential to reveal meaningful patterns here.
Where this research is happening
-
Stanford University
Stanford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wu, Joseph C. — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Wu, Joseph C.
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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.