Blood Research Program

Hematopoietic stem cells were the first “adult” stem cells to be purified. These cells provide a powerful system for asking fundamental questions about stem cell biology, broadly relevant mechanisms of cell regulation, and organogenesis. Clinical applications involving hematopoietic stem cells have been profound. Many questions remain unanswered regarding how stem and progenitor cells constitute the blood system in normal and pathological states. Further studies with this system are expected to yield paradigm-shifting fundamental discoveries and will lead to important new advances in clinical medicine.

Mission:

A major goal is to promote the development of innovative discoveries and translational strategies related to normal and malignant blood cell development and function and more broadly to stem/progenitor cell science. We engage in collaborative multidisciplinary science, and our group provides a highly interactive forum that serves as the scholarly epicenter of hematology research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The UW-Madison has a rich history in fundamental and clinical blood research, which has been distributed across multiple departments. The UW-Madison Blood Research Program was established in January of 2013 to unite outstanding blood researchers under the auspices of a central organizational structure. More recently, the Program evolved into the Wisconsin Blood Cancer Research Program (WBCRI) led by Emery Bresnick. WBCRI is 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. Our guiding principles include innovation, collaboration, synergism, collegiality, inclusiveness and diversity.