Five innovative projects studying blood stem cells are currently underway at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Led by Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center (SCRMC) investigators and supported by a gift from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), these projects will investigate a wide variety of blood-based processes, from the role of inflammation in blood cell genome function and blood cell-derived pathologies e.g., cancer, to what impacts blood cell aging.
The goal of these projects is to advance the science of stem cell biology through collaboration. Investigators across campus will be working together to conduct novel research that will provide the steppingstones for medical breakthroughs related to blood disorders.
“One of the highest priorities of our UW–Madison research on hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells is to develop synergistic, multi-investigator projects, in which investigators bring unique expertise to the table to solve problems that no single investigator would be equipped to tackle,” says Emery H. Bresnick, PhD, a SCRMC member, Director of the Wisconsin Blood Cancer Research Institute, Co-Director of the Genetic and Epigenetic Mechanisms Program at the Carbone Cancer Center, and the Gary Felsenfeld Professor of Cell and Regenerative Biology. “This represents a major goal of the Wisconsin Blood Cancer Research Institute (WBCRI), a highly collaborative organization that utilizes multidisciplinary science (basic, translational and clinical) to discover blood cancer mechanisms, advance blood cancer diagnosis, treatment and prevention, train research leaders, and serve as an advisory hub for the community. WBCRI guiding principles include innovation, collaboration, synergism, collegiality, inclusiveness, and diversity. The collaboration between SCRMC and WBCRI will yield multi-faceted benefits”.
With the support of the SCRMC funding, researchers will have the unique opportunity to engage in collaborative and preliminary studies that are key to moving this type of research forward.
“The catalytic resources provided by the SCRMC will advance our goal to accelerate discoveries and synergistic outcomes,” says Bresnick. “The multi-PI pilot project funding awarded to two teams: Bresnick, Brand, Keles, and Slukvin; and Capitini, Huttenlocher and Slukvin are expected to further increase momentum and lead to multi-PI grant applications. Furthermore, a vital goal of WBCRI is to catalyze the efforts and success of new investigators, and the pilot projects awarded to Drs. Tamplin, Romeo, and Brown are concordant with this goal.”
The five projects that received awards are outlined below:
1. “Inflammation-regulated epigenome structure and genome function in hematopoietic progenitor cells”
2. “Epigenetic and transcriptional regulation of ferroptosis in aging hematopoietic stem cells
3. “Inflammation-regulated epigenome structure and genome function in hematopoietic progenitor cells”
4. “GABA signaling in the hematopoietic stem cell niche during aging”
5. “Generate a benchmark humanization dataset of primary HSPC-derived immune systems for future comparisons with iPSC-HSPCs.”