Individual
ESR projects
Research project
Dissecting the cellular crosstalk between the bone marrow microenvironment and hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, myelodysplastic syndromes and secondary acute myeloid leukaemia (WP1)
Rationale and objectives
In disease and aging, the stroma cells of the bone marrow are epigenetically altered and support less healthy haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). Whether this decline is cell intrinsic or instructed by mutated HSPCs is not fully understood.
Our objectives are:
• To analyze on the single-cell level the reciprocal influence of HSPCs and stroma cells on gene transcription.
• To identify and validate gene signatures correlating with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and normal aging.
• To functionally test involved key pathways in vitro and in vivo using CRISPR/Cas9-engineered cells.
Envisioned secondments
GenomeScan B.V. (The Netherlands, 3 months), Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Georg-Speyer-Haus (Germany, 3 months).
PhD programme
PhD in Experimental Medicine, TUM graduate School (TUM-GS), Germany.