Labs
Magee Lab
Jeffrey Magee, MD, PhD
The Magee lab studies genetic programs that cause and sustain pediatric leukemias. The lab focuses primarily on a hard-to-treat leukemia called AML (acute myeloid leukemia). Recently, the Magee lab has uncovered key interactions between genes that regulate blood development and AML formation. Furthermore, they have identified new roles for proteins that regulate gene expression in both normal blood stem cells and AML. These mechanisms offer attractive targets for drug development and new therapies.
Bednarski Lab
Jeffrey J. Bednarski, MD, PhD
The Bednarski lab studies signals that direct early B cell development. B cells are a part of the immune system. They produce antibodies, and when they develop abnormally, children can develop B cell leukemias. The Bednarski lab seeks to understand how DNA damage – which occurs naturally during B cell development – can alter signals that tell a developing B cell to keep dividing, or not. These signals offer potential therapeutic targets.
Schuettpelz Lab
Laura Schuettpelz, MD, PhD
The Schuettpelz lab studies how inflammation regulates blood forming stem cells, called hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). They are particularly interested in how inflammation causes HSCs to transform into blood cancers. The lab has identified a protein called CD53 as key regulator of stem cell proliferation under conditions of stress, and they are interested in understanding how CD53 might support malignant stem cells.
Sykes Lab
Stephen Sykes, PhD
The Sykes lab seeks to understand how metabolism changes when normal blood cells become leukemia cells. They have shown that leukemia cells utilize amino acids and fatty acids differently than normal blood stem cells. This creates a dependency in leukemia cells on specific metabolites, and the abnormal metabolic pathways can be targeted to kill leukemia cells.