Stem Cell Stars Seminar: Genetic Influences on Human Hematopoiesis with Vijay Sankaran

Talk Title: “Genetic Influences on Human Hematopoiesis”

When: 11 March 2025 | 15:00 - 16:00 + mingle

Where: Segerfalksalen, BMC A10

Host: Principal Investigator Björn Nilsson

Following the lecture, take the opportunity to mingle and connect with colleagues and fellow researchers over refreshments at our post-seminar gathering. This is a wonderful opportunity to expand your professional network and share ideas in a relaxed setting. 

All are welcome, and no registration is required!

About the Speaker:

Vijay G. Sankaran

• Lodish Family Chair in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital
• Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
• Attending Physician, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center

Dr. Vijay Sankaran and his team study how human genetic variation impacts blood cell production, also known as hematopoiesis, in health and disease. They use human genetics to understand blood cell production and how it goes awry in human disease. They are especially interested in understanding how blood cells are made and how that changes in disease. They also study how hemoglobin genes (including fetal hemoglobin) are controlled and how blood cell production varies in humans. The Sankaran Lab is also studying how what they learn from these studies can be used to develop better treatments for various blood disorders, like sickle cell disease, thalassemia, Diamond-Blackfan anemia, aplastic anemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative disorders, and childhood leukemia. They use modern human genetic studies, like exome and genome sequencing, and functional studies of human hematopoiesis and hemoglobin gene regulation in vitro and in vivo. They're also developing technologies to enable better studies of human hematopoiesis in vivo, including lineage tracing and single cell genomic approaches.

• Learn more about the Sankaran Lab