I’ve never announced grant funding before, not sure why! I love celebrating others’ news, but for some reason, I kept quiet about mine. This time, though, I want to share: our Baboon GTEx R01 grant has been funded! 🐒🎉
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Funding for comparative genomics, especially in primates, is hard. Many agree it’s important, yet convincing study sections of its significance feels like an uphill battle. This grant is particularly meaningful to me because I’ve been pursuing the mapping of eQTLs in non-human primates for years.
While we’ve had success mapping some eQTLs in chimpanzees and baboons, this Baboon GTEx project represents a huge step forward. It’s the closest non-human primate analog to the human GTEx, making it an invaluable resource for understanding gene regulation and its evolution.
This project is a true collaboration with Laura Cox, Alexis Battle, and Michael Olivier. Their expertise in primate genomics, computational methods, and functional genomics has been central to the development and success of this proposal. It’s a privilege to work with such outstanding colleagues.
Aim 1: Collect bulk and single-cell RNA-seq data from 60 baboon tissues from 60 animals.
Aim 2: Map eQTLs to understand how gene regulation varies across tissues.
Aim 3: Compare baboon and human data to study the evolution of gene regulation.
Aim 4: Create an open-access Baboon GTEx portal for the scientific community.
The Baboon GTEx portal (Aim 4) is especially exciting! It will allow researchers worldwide to explore comparative gene regulation data across 60 tissues, compare baboon to human data, and investigate evolutionary and disease-related questions.
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Aim 1: Collect bulk and single-cell RNA-seq data from 60 baboon tissues from 60 animals.
Aim 2: Map eQTLs to understand how gene regulation varies across tissues.
Aim 4: Create an open-access Baboon GTEx portal for the scientific community.