Project Grant R01HL173817

This $773,440 Project Grant awarded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) supports research by the University of Pittsburgh to investigate the role of E-box motifs and associated transcription factors, such as TWIST1, in regulating the myofibroblast program in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The research aims to determine the regulatory architecture of open chromatin in IPF myofibroblasts, understand how E-box transcription factor expression levels influence myofibroblast differentiation, and develop E-box decoys to disrupt myofibroblast effector functions. This work leverages single-cell and single-nucleus sequencing technologies to provide novel insights into the transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of IPF, a progressive and devastating lung disease. The award began on January 1, 2025 and is scheduled for completion by November 30, 2028.