Martin Zhang, an assistant professor of computational biology in Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science, has received a grant from The Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation. The award will support two years of his research on using large-scale genetic data to decipher and link genetic variants to diseases.

Founded in 2006, the Curci Foundation supports researchers whose work emphasizes fostering a sustainable future for humankind, focusing on projects with far-reaching and lasting implications in life sciences.

Zhang plans to use genome-wide and single-cell data to better understand cell-type-specific disease mechanisms. Support from the Curci Foundation will allow him to hire students and postdocs in his lab.

"Heritable human diseases manifest in a highly cell-type-specific manner. Studying these mechanisms is critical for our understanding of disease etiology and will inform treatment development," said Zhang, who joined CMU's Ray and Stephanie Lane Computational Biology Department in 2023. "This funding will provide critical financial support and allow us to hire the personnel to carry out the proposed projects, greatly accelerating our research agenda."

Zhang's lab also develops machine learning and statistical algorithms motivated by genetic applications, such as causal inference, deep learning and more.

Drew Bridges, an assistant professor in CMU's Mellon College of Science, also received a grant to support his research into developing new fluorescent markers to study biofilms, groups of bacteria that clump together for protection.

Learn more about the Curci Foundation on its website.