May 5, 2026
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We are thrilled to announce the recipient of Arima’s 2026 Multi-Omics Grant — a program designed to empower researchers who are pushing the boundaries of integrated genomics, epigenomics, and transcriptomics to uncover new insights into human health and disease. Following a rigorous review of a highly competitive field of proposals, one project distinguished itself for its bold scientific vision, exceptional feasibility, and potential to fundamentally reshape our understanding of how 3D genome architecture shapes the aging process.
Grant Recipient: Hayan Lee, PhD
Lab: Lee Lab
Institution: Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Project Title: 3D Genome Architecture Remodeling in Aging: A Multi-Omics Analysis of Chronic Inflammation
Project Overview: This project aims to define how 3D chromatin architecture is remodeled during aging and how these changes distinguish healthy aging from disease-promoting states. Chronic inflammation is a well-established hallmark of aging; however, the role of higher-order genome organization in modulating inflammatory processes remains a critical open question in the field.
Dr. Lee and the Lee Lab will analyze samples from approximately 12 centenarians alongside younger cohorts in their 30s and 60s, capturing a full spectrum of aging trajectories. The team has established a rich multi-omics dataset comprising DNA methylation and RNA-seq profiles, with chronic inflammation as a key phenotypic readout, and will also assess clonal hematopoiesis as an additional age-associated feature. By layering 3D chromatin conformation data on top of this existing foundation, the project will generate a comprehensive, multi-dimensional view of the molecular features that connect genome architecture with aging biology and inflammation-linked disease risk.
Scientific Impact
By connecting 3D genome organization with functional molecular outputs — including transcriptional programs, epigenetic states, and clonal dynamics — this project has the potential to uncover fundamental mechanisms by which genome architecture shapes aging trajectories. Findings from this work could provide new insights into how healthy aging is maintained versus how it transitions into clonal hematopoiesis-associated or disease-promoting states, with broad implications for aging biology, inflammation research, and clinical biomarker development.
About the Lee Lab
The Lee Lab at Fox Chase Cancer Center focuses on computational epigenetics in cancer and aging, with a mission to translate complex multi-omics data into clinically actionable insights. Dr. Lee and her team specialize in identifying somatic epi-mutations, defining molecular subtypes, and developing machine learning models to predict cancer type and subtype, match therapeutic strategies, and anticipate relapse or metastasis.
The lab leverages advanced technologies including single-cell multi-omics, single-cell spatial transcriptomics, and proteomics to identify predictive epigenetic signatures and better characterize the cancer microenvironment. Their work supports the development of epigenetic and image-based biomarkers for early diagnostics, improved prognostics, and more informed therapeutic decision-making across cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
We congratulate Dr. Hayan Lee, PhD, and the Lee Lab at Fox Chase Cancer Center on this outstanding proposal and look forward to the new biological insights this project will generate at the intersection of 3D genomics, chronic inflammation, and aging.
Thank you to all who applied, and to every investigator working to advance human health and scientific discovery through genomic innovation. Stay tuned for future grant opportunities and updates on how Arima’s 3D genomics solutions enable researchers to explore genome architecture, integrate multi-omics datasets, and accelerate discovery across biology and disease.
