Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The Trustees of Boston University received a $433,750 Project Grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859), effective April 1, 2026 through February 28, 2031. This five-year award supports the development of computational methods and network-based models designed to understand the continuous nature of cell states across different biological contexts, particularly in development and disease. The research integrates multiple modalities of large-scale genomics data with emphasis on epigenetics and the noncoding genome to examine how cells transition between states, the role of cell-cell communication and spatial organization in determining cell state, and the genetic mechanisms that drive these changes.

The deliverables from this project include novel computational frameworks and analytical approaches for inferring cellular state changes over time by leveraging differences in measurements across genomics data modalities. The research is expected to advance the identification of potential druggable targets that influence cell state determination. As a fundamental biomedical research initiative, this award contributes to the NIGMS mission of increasing understanding of biological processes to advance disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. The work will be conducted at Boston University's research facilities in Boston, Massachusetts.