Developmental origins of blood stem cells and leukaemia

Abstract

My lab has a long-standing interest in how the first blood cells, particularly haematopoietic stem cells, are generated during development and how they differ from adult blood cells. This is an important question when trying to understand the pathogenesis of malignancies that have a prenatal origin, such as leukaemia in infants. We have recently profiled such foetal – adult differences in blood progenitors and have identified some factors that are directly involved in driving a particularly aggressive form of infant leukaemia. Another aim of the lab has also been the generation of faithful models of infant leukaemia in which initiation, progression and treatment can be studied.