# Identification and Interpretation of Chromatin Changes Associated with the Aging of Human Immune Cells

> **NIH NIH R35** · JACKSON LABORATORY · 2021 · $464,920

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This research program aims to bridge the gap between genomics data generation from clinical samples and
our ability to infer and interpret intricate regulatory programs that underpin cell function and dysfunction in
human cells. The Ucar laboratory develops and applies computational solutions to uncover complex regulatory
programs in human cells and address previously inaccessible questions related to how disruptions in these
programs affect human health and disease. The goal is to create computational tools that are versatile, easy to
use and in keeping with the ever-increasing sophistication and complexity of NGS data. The current focus on
the immunobiology of aging leverages the Principal Investigator's extensive training in computer science,
epigenomics, and aging biology. Ongoing work with collaborators at The Jackson Laboratory and The
University of Connecticut Health Center has led to multiple discoveries related to the genomic signatures of
human immune aging, and has yielded numerous questions that form the basis for the proposed research
program, including: 1) Which regulatory programs and regulatory interactions are disrupted with aging in which
immune cells? 2) How do men and women age differently? 3) What are the putative
genomic/clinical/immunological markers of healthy aging? To address these questions, this research program
will focus on developing machine learning and network mining algorithms that enable integration of data from
diverse sources, since complex regulatory interactions and diverse regulatory elements cannot be inferred
from a single data type. Fueled by these tools, it will investigate the dynamics of regulatory programs in blood-
derived human immune cells associated with aging through collaborations with clinicians, immunologists, and
chromatin scientists. This research will advance our understanding of how immune responses are
transcriptionally regulated, will facilitate the design of interventions to boost immune health in elderly and
diseased individuals, and will yield computational resources useful to diverse areas of genomic medicine.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10234145
- **Project number:** 5R35GM124922-05
- **Recipient organization:** JACKSON LABORATORY
- **Principal Investigator:** Duygu Ucar
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $464,920
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-01 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10234145

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10234145, Identification and Interpretation of Chromatin Changes Associated with the Aging of Human Immune Cells (5R35GM124922-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10234145. Licensed CC0.

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