The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) awarded a $718,314 Project Grant (CFDA 93.865 - Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research) to Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) to evaluate the impact of altered gene expression on uterine fibroid risk in African ancestry populations. The key objectives are to:
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Test for associations between known and novel fibroid risk genetic loci and gene expression in Nigerian women's myometrium samples.
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Detect cell-specific gene expression differences between normal and fibroid uterine tissue in African ancestry women using single-cell RNA sequencing.
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Build a myometrial tissue expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) atlas and predictive gene expression models to identify functional loci associated with fibroid risk.
VUMC will leverage its research infrastructure in Nigeria, tissue collection, and genomics expertise to conduct this 5-year study. VUMC has subawarded portions of the project to Vanderbilt University and Case Western Reserve University to contribute their research capabilities.
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