Project Grant R56HD122741

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development awarded The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco $500,000 on September 1, 2026, under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research grant program (CFDA 93.865) to conduct single-cell molecular characterization and computational drug discovery for fertility-sparing treatment of uterine fibroids.

The project applies single-nucleus RNA sequencing and computational drug-repurposing methods to identify existing drugs and drug combinations for treating uterine leiomyomas. Work in Aim 1 involves performing single-nuclei RNA sequencing on 50 fibroid cases and 50 controls to determine transcriptomic signatures of cell types in fibroids and their associated pathways, with focus on MED12-positive cases. Aim 2 uses transcriptomic-based computational drug-repurposing to identify potential single-agent and combination therapeutics through expression reversal, leveraging publicly available transcriptomics data. Aim 3 validates selected compounds of interest in human cells in vitro and animal models of leiomyomas.

Performance occurs at the University of California, San Francisco in San Francisco, California. The award period runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027.