# Summer Student Research on the Application of Boolean Analysis

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2023 · $13,951

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Despite 50 years of extensive investigations to characterize the stem cell population in human colon crypts, we
still do not have a clear definition of cells that maintain the colon crypts. We attempt to answer this question
with emerging technology of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), which can provide insight into detailed
transcriptomes of individual stem and progenitor cells. We have a new method that can predict differentiation
hierarchy using unbiased systems biology perspective and mathematical models of large patient-derived gene
expression datasets. We have mathematical models that can predict terminally differentiated cells. The
mathematical principle we use is based on Boolean implication logic that has not been commonly applied to
study tissue cell populations. Boolean analysis assigns a parameter (e.g. RNA level of a gene) with only two
values, i.e., high/low, 1/0, or positive/negative. Applying the Boolean principle, it is possible to determine the
relationship between the expression levels of any pair of genes. Boolean analysis enables identification of
fundamental gene expression relationships in human tissues and across species. The primary goal of this
proposal is to use Boolean implication relationships to enable single-cell analysis of human colon tissue. Based
on our preliminary data, the overall hypothesis is that Boolean principles can be used to specifically
characterize the population of cell types in human colon tissue. Undergraduate involvement in this stem cell
and computational biology research can expose them to the benefits of interdisciplinary research in biomedical
fields and advance their professional careers.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10810545
- **Project number:** 3R01GM138385-04S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Debashis Sahoo
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $13,951
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-06-01 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10810545

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10810545, Summer Student Research on the Application of Boolean Analysis (3R01GM138385-04S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10810545. Licensed CC0.

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