Understanding how tissue environments shape disease with single-cell spatial data
Official title: Advancing Disease Modeling through Mathematical Frameworks: Leveraging Single-Cell Spatial Data to Uncover Tissue-Specific Pathways and Immune Responses
Funded at University of Massachusetts Amherst · NIH-11385415 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A researcher at UMass Amherst is using advanced single-cell spatial data and mathematical models to uncover how tissue environments influence autoimmune diseases and cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Massachusetts Amherst NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hadley, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2025 |
| Project end | July 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $406,250 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM159993-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11385415 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates include individuals with autoimmune diseases (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis) or cancers where bone or tissue microenvironments play a role.
✕Less likely to help
People without autoimmune diseases or cancer affecting tissue microenvironments may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to create new mathematical models, especially PDEs, to interpret complex single-cell spatial datasets from technologies like Spatial Transcriptomics, IMC, and CODEX. By incorporating tissue-specific mechanical and biochemical signals, it seeks to reveal pathways that drive disease progression and immune responses in disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. The work envisions linking how cells move and interact within bone and other tissues to the development of autoimmune conditions and tumor environments. Results could help identify new therapeutic targets by mapping tissue microenvironments to disease processes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the models could lead to better understanding of disease progression and inform targeted therapies that consider tissue context.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown promise in using single-cell spatial data to map tissue interactions, but this project advances mathematical modeling to integrate those data.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Hadley, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shahriyari, Leili — University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Study coordinator: Shahriyari, Leili
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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.