PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (April 14, 2023) – Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU), in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh, has been awarded $100,000 for a data analysis project to study the anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects of inhaled treprostinil in patients suffering from pulmonary hypertension (PH) due to interstitial lung disease (ILD). United Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology company, is providing financial support for the project through a research grant to the University of Pittsburgh.

“This collaborative project between computer engineering and medicine put PVAMU on the forefront of impactful research endeavors,” said PVAMU Vice President of Research & Innovation Magesh Rajan, Ph.D., P.E., MBA. “We are proud our research teams can work on impact-driven projects.”

Seungchan Kim, Ph.D., Scientist and Executive Professor

Seungchan Kim, PhD., scientist and executive professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Director of the CRI Center for Computational Systems Biology, is the principal investigator for the project at PVAMU.  Dr. Kim will work closely with Dr. Chan Stephen Y. Chan, MD, PhD., FAHA, principal investigator at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, alongside PVAMU’s Assistant Professor Xishuang Dong, PhD., to perform single-cell RNA sequencing and network analysis of blood and tissue samples from ILD patients with and without PH.

“This is the continuation of our ongoing collaboration with Dr. Chan where the PVAMU team provides computational expertise to analyze large-scale, single-cell RNA sequencing data from patients,” said Dr. Kim. “I am really excited about its potential impact on enhancing translational research capacity at PVAMU.”

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology is a cutting-edge approach to unraveling the complexities of RNA transcripts within individual cells within highly organized tissues and organs (such as lung tissues).

Dr. Kim and his team will then apply EDDY (Evaluation of Differential DependencY) analysis. This computation algorithm defines differential dependency networks (DDNs) based on the rewiring dependency interactions among genes in a network. In this case, PVAMU researchers will compare samples taken before and after therapy. The results of the study could offer a window into understanding and personalizing the treatment of different PH-ILD patients at various stages of the disease.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Dr. Kim and PVAMU to generate unprecedented insights into the molecular drivers of pulmonary hypertension” said Dr. Chan. “We hope that this type of work will contribute to advancing therapies for patients with PH-ILD.”

By Jenna Craig