![Interrupting the Formation of Blood Cancers]()
Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are usually incurable blood cancers that are highly associated with aging. They result from hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells (HSCs) that have acquired function-changing molecular alterations. To develop curative therapies, scientists must distinguish between alterations compatible with healthy, aged HSC function and alterations that cause HSCs to turn cancerous. The National Cancer Institute has awarded Britta Will, Ph.D., a five-year, $1.9 million grant to investigate the role played by the aging-related decline of chaperone-mediated autophagy (one of the systems cells use to digest and recycle waste products, particularly under stress conditions) in blood-cancer stem cell formation. Findings from this research could yield fundamentally new therapies for patients with MDS/AML, as well as other stem cell-derived cancers. Dr. Will is an assistant professor of medicine and of cell biology at Einstein. (1 R01 CA230756-01)
Posted on: Monday, October 08, 2018