Investigating the mechanisms of normal and malignant hematopoiesis to develop novel therapies for acute leukemia.
Our Mission
Our mission is to target novel proteins and non-coding RNAs in the hopes of curing patients with acute myeloid leukemia. We hope to replace toxic chemotherapeutic therapies with novel molecularly targeted therapies to prolong survival and improve quality of life for patients suffering from this disease.
“When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this: You haven’t.”
What We've Done and where we’re going…..
Generated a unique mouse model of AML in which mutations involving the MLL(KMT2A) and FLT3 genes were knocked-into the their endogenous loci (Mll-PTD;Flt3 ITD).
Identified novel proteins and non-coding RNAs that cooperate with these gene mutations in leukemogenesis.
Elucidated novel non-coding RNAs important for the biology of Leukemia Stem Cells (LSCs).
Developing novel therapeutic approaches to target LSCs in vivo and translate these findings into the clinic.
Developing unique immunotherapies to target LSCs and their altered microenvironment contributing to drug resistance.
Identifying factors important for normal hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell biology to develop better cellular therapies.
Updates and Announcements:
05-01-20 CONGRATS to Dr. Allison LaRocco for graduating OSU Medical School. Allison has been in the lab for the last two years. Good luck at University of Maryland!!
02-27-20 CONGRATS TO SOFIA KOVOLICH in our lab!! Sofia has been awarded a Pelotonia Fellowship for her work on investigating the role of EGFL7 in hematologic malignancies. Well done!