Project Grant K08HL181191

The National Institutes of Health National Heart Lung and Blood Institute awarded Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc. $164,484 on August 10, 2026, under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) to investigate the role of the mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO1 in thrombotic responses to heterogeneous mechanical forces across distinct vascular beds.

The recipient will employ pharmacological and genetic tools to modulate PIEZO1 channels in in vitro mechanical activation models, including flow chambers and strain systems, as well as in murine models. The research will systematically link mechanical forces to PIEZO1 signatures across multiple cell types by monitoring PIEZO1 protein levels, calcium transduction properties, and resulting coagulation-associated changes. In vivo work will evaluate PIEZO1 activation's effect on thrombosis across veins, venules, capillaries, arterioles, and arteries. The project is grounded in preliminary findings showing that endothelial PIEZO1 activation counters prothrombotic shifts during inflammation by inducing KLF2/4, increasing thrombomodulin, and reducing tissue factor, with PIEZO1 sensitivity tuned by shear forces.

Performance occurs in Boston, Massachusetts, with a period of performance from August 10, 2026, through July 31, 2031. This is a Project Grant, a standard assistance type under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program supporting investigator-initiated basic and translational research.