skip to main content
Driving the future of Medicine through disruptive convergent technologies
Science across, above and beyond with no boundaries

Homepage

Translating discoveries
into diagnostics
and therapeutics

Hand Organs

The main goal of the Center for Transcriptional Medicine is to catalyze the generation of a novel approach to reprogram chronically injured tissues and organs. This program integrates the best-in-class pipeline and teams of experts for the analysis, identification of master regulators, rapid synthesis and testing of targets and effective delivery to the target tissues in all-human experimental systems obtained from explanted organs with end-stage disease.

Our Approach

  • 1

    The workflow of the Center starts with the identification of master regulators of functional identity of specialize epithelial cells using a pipeline that integrates capturing and processing human explanted organs (livers, kidneys, lungs, hearts) with end-stage failure in close collaboration with the Transplant teams at UPMC and the Department of Surgery.

  • 2

    Human explanted tissues and processed cells are then computationally analyzed (e.g., transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) to identify a framework that integrates patients’ orthogonal metabolic signatures and transcriptomes with clinical metadata for identifying and dissecting specific metabolic signatures and phenotypes that define end-stage organ failure.

  • 3

    Once transcription factors that work as master regulators are identified, nuclei acid-based medicines are manufactured and tested for efficiency and delivery in close collaboration with Nobel Prize winner Drew Weissman RNA Institute at UPENN to modify transcriptional programs and networks that affect functional phenotypes.

Pipeline

Coordinating the complex choreography of gene function

Lab scientist with syringe

Convergent Science Motivation

Transcription Factors

Transcription Factors are DNA-binding proteins that can activate or repress DNA transcription and control gene expression and function.

protein-coding genes

There are about 20,000 protein-coding genes in the Human Genome but only about 1,600 Transcription Factors to regulate them.

Transcriptional Reprogramming

Transcriptional Reprogramming is capable to manipulate cell fate by altering the transcriptomic and epigenetic landscapes of a target cell and controlling gene regulatory networks.

Liver Therapy

By systematically studying chronically injured and functionally impaired livers, looking for genetic and cellular mechanisms of action that contribute to end-stage disease; our teams have identified disrupted transcriptional networks and master regulators, that serve as a main control panel to regulate much of the gene expression and function in liver cells. And by applying transcriptional therapy—liver function came back online.

mRNA-based therapies

Dr. Drew Weissman the recent Nobel Laureate, discovered nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA-based therapies that control protein production such transcription factors and have designed effective nanoparticles for specific delivery of nuclei-acid medicines.

The best People, the best science

Leadership

Alejandro Soto-Gutierrez, MD, PhD
Alejandro Soto-Gutierrez, MD, PhD
Leader

Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh.

Sarah Hainer, PhD
Sarah Hainer, PhD
Transcriptional Regulome Leader

Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences.

Drew Weissman, MD, PhD
Drew Weissman, MD, PhD
Leader

Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research and Director of the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation. He is a Professor in the Department of Medicine and Director of Vaccine Research in the Infectious Diseases Division at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Deepak Nagrath, PhD
Deepak Nagrath, PhD
Metabolic Transcriptome Leader

Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan.

Clinical Board

Connectors

Science Board

Special Teams Boards

STEM Training and Education for next generation Pioneers (STEPs)

STEPs is an interdisciplinary biomedical research training program for scientists at all levels

STEP Opportunities for All Members

  • Cross disciplinary research opportunities
  • Networking and scientific advancement across multiple labs
  • Mentoring from multiple expert scientists
  • Opportunities for internships and summer research experiences

Postdoctoral Researchers

  1. Intensive training in one of four labs
  2. Bimonthly meetings with cross disciplinary expert scientists and clinicians
  3. Internship opportunities
  4. Mentoring experience

Submit applications via email

Graduate Students

  1. Intensive training in one of four labs
  2. Cross lab training and research experiences
  3. Bimonthly meetings with cross disciplinary expert scientists and clinicians
  4. Undergraduate mentoring experience

Apply to PhD programs at Pitt:

Undergraduate Researchers

  1. Summer training program at Pitt in year 1, with continued research through the academic year
  2. In year 2, summer experience at with University of Michigan or UPenn
  3. Tiered mentoring program with faculty, postdocs, and grad students
  4. Team building activities and experiences

Applications accepted annually from January 1 to March 31

Catalyzing collaborations in new interdisciplinary medical fields