Award: Psoriatic Arthritis Research Grant
Biography: Jimin Tan is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow and Colton Al Scholar at NYU School of Medicine. He holds a B.A. in mathematics and computer science, M.S. in data science, and Ph.D. in computational biology. Coming from a computational background, he aims to developing machine learning methods and models to facilitate understanding of biological systems and enable discoveries. He currently uses machine learning approaches to study autoimmune diseases and understand the regulatory mechanism behind it.
Research Summary: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic condition that affects about 30% of people with psoriasis, causing joint pain and skin plaques. While we have treatments that work well for skin symptoms, many patients still struggle with joint pain. Our research uses advanced computer programs that can learn patterns in patient data to better understand why PsA develops. We will study tissue samples from both the skin and joints of patients to find out what makes cells behave differently in PsA compared to skin psoriasis and other forms of arthritis. By analyzing thousands of cells at once, we can spot important changes that might cause the disease. We will also use our computer programs to look through existing FDA-approved drugs to find ones that might help treat PsA in new ways. This could lead to better treatments much faster than developing completely new drugs. Our goal is to help doctors better treat both the skin and joint symptoms of PsA, improving the lives of patients living with this challenging condition.
