Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded The Johns Hopkins University a $379,509 Project Grant effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2030 under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837). The project delivers research and development of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapies with enhanced immunosuppressive efficacy for treating graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The primary deliverable is the identification and provision of optimal microenvironment mechanical cues during MSC production to improve therapeutic potency. The research leverages a proprietary hydrogel system that recapitulates tissue-specific stiffness and viscoelastic properties, with the goal of demonstrating how matrix stress relaxation—in addition to static stiffness—regulates MSC activity and directs cellular behaviors including spreading, proliferation, differentiation, and regenerative capacity.

This award supports basic and translational research aligned with NHLBI's broader mission to advance cardiovascular and blood disorders research. The project addresses a significant clinical gap, as existing MSC products approved internationally have demonstrated inconsistent efficacy in GVHD clinical trials due to challenges in generating high-potency therapeutic cells. By engineering culture substrates that recapitulate natural extracellular matrix (ECM) viscoelastic properties, the research is expected to advance understanding of MSC biology and contribute to the development of more effective cell-based immunotherapies for GVHD treatment.