Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco a Project Grant totaling $1,097,760 on February 15, 2026, under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) to support a research initiative focused on blocking age-related pulmonary fibrosis and restoring lung regeneration. The research program addresses idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a relentlessly progressive disorder affecting approximately 200,000 patients annually in the United States with an average survival of 3-5 years. The project will be performed at UCSF's San Francisco, California facility and extends through December 31, 2032.

The research will investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying IPF progression, with particular emphasis on understanding how alveolar epithelial cells undergo metaplastic transdifferentiation in age-dependent pathways. The investigative team will examine epigenetic and transcriptional regulators that bias alveolar type II cell differentiation toward pro-fibrotic basal cells rather than normal type I cell renewal, with the objective of identifying therapeutic targets to prevent disease development and progression. Deliverables include scientific discoveries and potential therapeutic interventions designed to improve lung function and patient outcomes for IPF patients, addressing a significant unmet medical need given the absence of FDA-approved drugs that improve lung function in this population.