Individual
ESR projects
Research project
Understanding and reverting the epigenetic reprogramming of bone marrow stroma cells in myelodysplastic syndromes (WP2)
Rationale and objectives
Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are present in the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment and have an indispensable role in the regulation and support of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). MSCs from patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) are very likely epigenetically altered leading to impaired stromal support and potentially contribute to deficient hematopoiesis in MDS.
Our objectives are:
• To establish a three-component co-culture system of disease HSPCs, healthy HSPCs and stroma cells.
• To identify chromatin regulators in stroma cells that sustain a transcriptional program favoring disease HSPC support.
• To understand how most-disease relevant chromatin regulators exert their function.
Envisioned secondments
Klinikum rechts der Isar der TU München and Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Georg-Speyer-Haus (Germany, 3 months). Depending on the project development: Aelian Bio (Austria, 1 month).
PhD programme
PhD in Cell Biology, Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain.