René Girard is conducting research at the Medical University of Graz as part of the Marshall Plan Scholarship

René Girard, a PhD candidate in the Molecular and Translational Biology Program at the MD Anderson UT Health Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, has joined the Lung Research group at the Otto Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, through a prestigious Marshal Plan stipend.

Girard’s project targets a critical unmet need in systemic sclerosis (SSc), a heterogeneous autoimmune disease that disproportionately affects women and can progress to pulmonary hypertension (PH), a life-threatening condition defined by mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥ 20 mmHg at rest. In SSc, PH may occur alone (SSc-PAH) or with interstitial lung disease, and is marked by vascular remodeling and right-ventricular dysfunction. Despite therapeutic advances, many patients ultimately require lung transplantation, which still carries poor five-year survival—underscoring the urgency for new treatments.

These studies aim to clarify disease mechanisms and lay the groundwork for targeted therapeutics. Beyond the lab, René Girard is excited to work alongside the excellent team at Med Uni Graz, gain insights from a diverse research group, and acquire specialized techniques not available to him in Houston. Outside the lab, he is looking forward to experiencing Austrian culture and enjoying the local weather!