ASH News Daily - Sunday, December 11, 2011 - (Page B-34)

Page B–34 ® ASH NewS DAily She is also using mouse models of T-cell lymphomagenesis to study the role of FLVCR and heme metabolism in cancer development. Jonathan N. Thon, PhD Dr. Thon holds joint appointments within the Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. He received his doctorate from the University of British Columbia, Canada, under Dana Devine, PhD, where he worked closely with Canadian Blood Services to improve the processing and storage of blood platelets. His research entailed the applying proteomic, molecular biology, and biochemistry techniques t o w a r d the identification of mechanisms regulating the storage-re- Jonathan N. Thon, PhD lated deterioration of platelets. While blood platelets are critical components of vascular hemostasis and thrombosis, the final stages of their production remain poorly understood. A postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Joseph Italiano Jr., PhD, Dr. Thon now focuses on the cytoskeletal mechanics and signaling pathways that culminate in the formation of platelets. Dr. Thon is currently developing model systems to improve directed therapies for thrombocytopenia, control platelet production in vitro for the purposes of producing useable numbers of clinically viable platelets for transfusion, and develop “designer” platelets that exploit existing functions of platelets as regulators of hemostasis, angiogenesis, and innate immunity to serve as vehicles for drug delivery. Dr. Thon’s long-term goals are to develop bio-mimetic systems to generate functional platelets for infusion and establish good representative ex vivo models of the human bone marrow and surrounding vasculature for the purpose of testing drugs and establishing treatments. A better understanding of how bone marrow megakaryocytes interact with their environment and the mechanical forces driving proplatelet elongation and platelet release will enable researchers to identify molecular pathways that can be targeted by drugs to regulate functional and directed platelet production in vivo. Sunday, December 11, 2011 career-development awardS Scholars «« From Page B-33 Mary Philip, MD, PhD Dr. Philip received her BS in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University and her MD and PhD in cancer biology from The University of Chicago. She completed her residency training in internal medicine at the University of Chicago before moving to the University of Washington/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for fellowship training in hematology/ oncology. Dr. Philip’s overall research interest has been on the role of the immune system and T lymphocytes in cancer progression. Mary Philip, MD, PhD As a fellow in the laboratory of Janis Abkowitz, MD, she has examined the role of heme metabolism in normal T-cell development and T-cell lymphomagenesis. Unexpectedly, she found that FLVCR, a heme export protein, is required for normal T-cell development as well as for peripheral T-cell survival. While heme is essential for all aerobic organisms and mammalian cells, the role of heme metabolism in cells other than erythroid and hepatic cells is not well understood. Dr. Philip has developed in vivo mouse models in which FLVCR can be turned off in T cells at different stages of development in order to understand heme metabolism in developing T cells and in antigen-specific peripheral T cells responding to bacterial infection. identified the specific oncogenes associated with new recurrent chromosomal alterations in T-ALL, including a novel chromosome 11 deletion that activates the LMO2 oncogene, a 6q duplication targeting the MYB oncogene, deletions in 17q resulting in Pieter Van loss of the Vlierberghe, MSc, PhD NF1 tumor Jennifer J. Trowbridge, PhD supressor gene, and a novel intraDr. Trowbridge received her chromosomal deletion in 9q giving PhD in microbiology and immunol- rise to the SET-NUP214 fusion onogy from the University of West- cogene in T-ALL. ern Ontario in 2006. Upon completion of Her graduate thesis his PhD training, he work in the laboratory joined the lab of Adof Mickie Bhatia, PhD, olfo Ferrando, MD, examined the Wnt and PhD, Institute for CanHedgehog signaling cer Genetics, Columbia pathways in regulation University, New York, of adult hematopoietic as a postdoctoral restem cell function. Dr. searcher in 2008. Since Trowbridge’s postdocthen he has expanded toral training in the his expertise in genomic laboratory of Stuart Oranalysis of transcripkin, MD, at the Dana- Jennifer J. Trowbridge, tional networks, proFarber Cancer Institute PhD tein biochemistry, and and Children’s Hospithe use of genetically tal Boston focuses on the epigenetic manipulated mouse models for the regulation of hematopoietic and study of the molecular basis of huleukemic stem cell self-renewal man leukemias. As a postdoctoral and differentiation. fellow in Dr. Ferrando’s laboratory, he identified PHF6 as a novel tuPieter Van Vlierberghe, MSc, PhD mor suppressor gene mutated in 20 Dr. Van Vlierberghe obtained his percent of T-ALLs and 3 percent of MSc from the University of Leuven, AMLs. His current work focuses on Belgium, in 2003 and his PhD from the functional analysis of PHF6 as an the Erasmus University, Rotter- epigenetic regulator of gene expresdam, the Netherlands, in 2008. Dur- sion and on the characterization of ing his PhD research, he worked on Phf6 conditional knockout mice. the molecular characterization of Dr. Van Vlierberghe said that reT-cell acute lymphoblastic leuke- ceiving an ASH Scholar Award is a mia (T-ALL). In his PhD project, he tremendous honor, as it recognizes used a combination of array-CGH, his work in the field of hematology microarray gene expression analy- research and provides him with an sis, and microRNA profiling to opportunity to transition into an inidentify novel oncogenic programs, dependent research position in the oncogenes, and molecular groups study of the molecular basis of huin this disease. In this project, he man leukemia. Additional Q&A Time Available After Select Scientific Sessions T o provide additional time for informal interaction, speakers from the following scientific program sessions will remain after each session for an additional 30 minutes to answer questions: Microparticles in Hematologic Disorders Nigel Mackman, PhD, Jeffrey Did you pack your clubs? Information on area golf courses is included in the San Diego travel information, which begins on page C-1. (Photo courtesy of Reed Kaestner) Zwicker, MD, and Roy L. Silverstein, MD p53, Ribosome, and Diamond-Blackfan Anemia Harvey F. Lodish, PhD, Stefan Karlsson, MD, PhD, and Guillermina (Gigi) Lozano, PhD For more details, look for Scientific Program Sessions marked with a double dagger (‡) in the Program Book. 

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ASH News Daily - Sunday, December 11, 2011

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