# The Pulmonary Hypertension- Multi-Dimensional Omics to Characterize Right Heart Adaptation (PH-MOCHA) study

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2020 · $388,750

## Abstract

Project Summary
Despite substantial progress in the development of medications to lower pulmonary vascular
resistance in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), there are no therapies that are known to benefit
the right heart in the absence of changes in right ventricular afterload. Right heart failure is the key
driver for morbidity and mortality in patients with PAH, but also complicates a range of other common
diseases such as emphysema and left heart failure.
We are currently enrolling participants in an NHLBI sponsored, Phase 2, single-center, randomized
placebo controlled trial of famotidine (an H2 receptor antagonist) as a novel therapeutic for adults with
PAH. The study is evaluating the ability of a 24-week course of famotidine to stabilize right heart
failure. Study end-points include six-minute walk distance, right ventricular function and dilation,
biochemical markers of right heart failure (nt-pro-BNP), New York Heart Association Functional Class,
and health related quality of life as assessed by the disease specific emPHasis-10 instrument.
The primary goal of this application is to leverage samples from our ongoing clinical trial to undertake
a multi-omics and systems biology approach to elucidate the biology of this unique cohort with right
heart failure. The current proposal is designed to better understand the biologic impact of modulating
histaminic signaling, define the multi-omics profiles of individuals with right heart failure who are likely
to respond to H2 receptor antagonists, and to discover activated pathways distinguishing individuals
with stable right heart function from those with worsening right heart failure. Our previous work
strongly implicates an important role for histaminic signaling in right heart failure and we have
generated exciting preliminary data showing that omics-based characterization can identify clinically
relevant phenotypes in patients with PAH.
The current proposal is well aligned with the NHLBI strategic vision to prioritize a deeper
understanding of biology in diseases of the heart, lung, and blood through the integration of multi-
omics data and discrete clinical phenotypes. This goal is particularly important in the current proposal
given the burden of right heart failure across a range of distinct diseases and the lack of effective
medications that promote right heart adaptation over failure. The proximate goal of enhancing our
understanding of histaminic signaling in right heart failure promises short to intermediate-term clinical
deliverables given the number of well-tolerated, inexpensive medications targeting this pathway.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9999879
- **Project number:** 1R01HL152724-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Sina A Gharib
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $388,750
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9999879

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9999879, The Pulmonary Hypertension- Multi-Dimensional Omics to Characterize Right Heart Adaptation (PH-MOCHA) study (1R01HL152724-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9999879. Licensed CC0.

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