Stanford University has received a USD 3.09 million UM1 award from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences to develop COIN, a patient-specific cardiac organoid platform that integrates AI-driven modeling, biomaterials engineering, and multi-omics analysis for preclinical cardiac disease research.
The five-investigator team — Afshin Beheshti, James Zou, Joseph C. Wu, Mark A. Skylar-Scott, and Sarah C. Heilshorn — will build a new approach methodologies platform designed to model cardiac microenvironments tailored to patient genetic, sex, and age profiles. The work draws on iPSC-derived organoids, extracellular matrix engineering, and FAIR-compliant multi-omics data infrastructure, with a stated aim of reducing reliance on animal models in preclinical safety assessment.
The FY2026 budget period award, covering March through December 2026 under a project running to 2030, reflects NCATS interest in regulatory-ready alternatives to conventional preclinical testing. The UM1 cooperative agreement mechanism signals an intent for sustained federal investment in platform standardization and translational infrastructure rather than a single-cycle study.
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