Ultra-Rare Integrin Alpha 3 Pulmonary Fibrosis

Hackathon Kick Off Event March 3rd 9am PST - Virtual

Research to the People in partnership with Allman Institute:

Research to the People runs hackathons to boost options for cancer and rare disease patients through a network of scientists on the frontier of personalized medicine.

The Allman Institute for Personalized Medicine conducts medical research focused on understanding and treating rare genetic diseases, lung diseases, and fibrosis.

<aside> Case Introduction

In partnership with Allman Institute, our Winter/Spring 2026 case takes a deeper look at a rare biallelic integrin alpha-3 (ITGA3) mutation that disrupts the integrity of the basement membrane in the lungs, kidneys, and skin, resulting in interstitial lung disease, chronic hypoxemic respiratory failure, and end-stage renal disease. The ITGA3 gene encodes the alpha-3 subunit of a cell surface heterodimer receptor, crucial for cell adhesion, migration, and tissue organization.

This year’s ITGA3 Hackathon seeks to explore the complex facets of this case by bringing together researchers internationally to take a deep dive into the multi-omics data through specialized data analysis.

Through our RTTP intensive two month Grant Program our goal is to provide support for our researchers as they investigate the intricate dimensions of the case data to find novel approaches to understanding the scientific pathways involved.

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Available Data

• Long-read RNA, Pacbio.
• Long-read DNA, Pacbio.
• Single-cell RNA-seq from PBMCs.
• Complete Genomics cFLR phased long-reads.
• Olink Plasma Proteomics. </aside>

Hackathon Goals

1. Halt and Reverse Fibrosis!
2. Deep multi-omics analysis.
3. Find new ways to increase ITGA3 expression.
4. Detect and measure interventions for ITGA3. (Drug screening lab available for top ideas)

Process

Apply for Grants —> Receive Case Data —> Present Analysis at Symposium —> Publish complete Report in Research to the People Journal.