Federal Grant Award Summary

The Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc. received a $234,000 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 June 30, 2028. This award funds a single-cell dissection study investigating the cellular and transcriptional dynamics driving post-transplant relapse in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The research leverages longitudinal peripheral blood samples from 20 MDS patients (10 who relapsed within one year post-allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation and 10 relapse-free controls) enrolled in the Bone Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network Study #1203. The study employs paired single-cell RNA sequencing, T cell receptor sequencing, and targeted gene sequencing of MDS-associated somatic mutations to map the dynamic immune landscape and identify transcriptional programs contributing to immune escape and disease relapse.

The research deliverables include comprehensive profiling of the single-cell transcriptomic and T cell repertoire landscape at four longitudinal time points (days 35, 100, 180, and 365 post-transplant), with analysis of how pre-transplant treatment regimens and donor type influence post-transplant T cell composition, functional states, and T cell receptor clonality. These findings are expected to elucidate molecular mechanisms of relapse and inform strategies to improve transplant outcomes for MDS patients.