The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, through its Health Sciences Division, received a $700,398 Project Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (CFDA 93.837 Cardiovascular Diseases Research) to conduct research on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). The key objectives are to:
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Apply machine learning techniques to analyze high-resolution histology image data from human carotid, coronary, and peripheral atherosclerotic lesions to identify novel histomorphological features associated with plaque vulnerability and major adverse cardiovascular events.
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Perform spatial transcriptomics and map gene expression data to the identified histomorphological features in a subset of lesions, then expand the spatial transcriptomics analysis to the full sample set using a novel super-resolution algorithm.
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Integrate genetic data, bulk RNA sequencing, and single-cell RNA sequencing to infer cell subtype-specific expression and histomorphological quantitative trait loci, and use these to assess causal relationships between cell types, molecular features, and cardiovascular disease.
The project aims to advance mechanistic understanding of plaque vulnerability and provide new insights for developing therapeutics to address residual cardiovascular disease risk despite lipid-lowering therapies.
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