Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded the University of Alabama at Birmingham $158,572 on September 25, 2025, under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) to conduct a five-year project through August 31, 2030. This Project Grant funds the development of genotypic and phenotypic approaches to subtype individuals with coronary heart disease (CHD), with emphasis on patients who develop CHD without elevated traditional risk factors. The research will deliver advanced analytical tools and methodologies, including polygenic risk scores (PRSs), multi-ancestry genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and machine learning algorithms designed to identify novel genetic variants and biological mechanisms underlying unexplained CHD risk in diverse populations.

The project aims to produce several key research products: (1) optimized multi-ancestry PRSs that integrate common and rare genetic variants for improved CHD risk prediction across population groups; (2) prioritized causal genetic variants and genes identified through genome-wide screening; (3) a novel composite score capturing increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk concurrent with decreased traditional risk factors; and (4) enhanced understanding of physiological mechanisms driving CHD development independent of traditional risk factors. These outputs are intended to address gaps in current Pooled Cohort Equations (PCE) risk assessment models and advance precision prevention and treatment strategies in clinical practice.