Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Award Details: Wake Forest University Health Sciences received a $2.4 million Project Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837), effective July 1, 2026 through March 31, 2030. The award supports a clinical and pathological research initiative to identify molecular drivers of atherosclerotic vascular disease progression and develop new therapeutic targeting strategies.

Products and Services: The funded research leverages Wake Forest's existing tissue biorepository of human coronary and aortic samples from young trauma victims to identify molecular regulators of early atherosclerosis initiation and progression. The project deliverables include: (1) molecular characterization of normal arterial tissue transitioning to atherosclerotic plaque using advanced omics techniques with high spatial resolution histopathology; (2) validation of identified molecular regulators using a novel human arterial organoid model system to confirm effects on gene and protein expression related to atherosclerotic pathogenesis; and (3) translational research outcomes enabling new pre-clinical atherosclerosis detection methods and novel therapeutic mechanisms for treatment and prevention. The research directly addresses the clinical burden of coronary artery disease and atherosclerotic vascular disease through mechanistic understanding of dynamic molecular interactions that drive arterial phenotype conversion.