The Keystone Program in Blood Cell Development and Cancer

The Potential

“It will be the leading program of this type internationally, essentially from its inception, given the expertise and accomplishments of the senior investigators in the program and the new discoveries that will emanate from the [genetic] screen.” – Keystone Programs External Review Panel

The Keystone Program in Blood Cell Development and Cancer will:

• Use the tools of genetics to identify genes essential for blood cell development and assess their role in cancer.
• Identify and investigate the cancer stem cell subset in incurable blood cancers, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
• Target identified genes and/or cancer stem cells with experimental interventions in order to create new therapies for difficult-to-treat blood cancers.

The process begins by identifying genes critical for blood cell development through the study of zebrafish, an animal in which researchers can literally see the blood cells develop in real time through the use of fluorescently tagged blood cells. When genes that are indispensable in the developmental process are deleted, certain types of blood cells will not be produced, which the researchers will be able to detect as disappearing fluorescent cells. The researchers will then test if one of these essential genes can also accelerate cancer development when mutated.