Funded by the Dick Vitale Gala
Bone marrow transplantation is commonly used to replace bone marrow stem cells after chemotherapy. However, a return to normal blood production by these stem cells can take several months after transplantation leaving patients vulnerable to infection. We have previously identified a molecular switch that controls life and death decisions in blood stem cells, and we are now seeking to block the death of blood stem cells following transplantation to accelerate the return of normal blood production. This research will also improve our understanding of how leukemia cells evade cell death.
