Who We Fund

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Constantine Mitsiades is Associate Professor of Medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School; Associate Member of the Broad Institute; and Vice-Chair of Myeloma Committee, Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology. His studies focus on understanding the mechanisms through which myeloma or other blood cancers develop persistence/resistance to pharmacological or immune therapies; and delineating the therapeutic vulnerabilities of these cells. His studies have applied functional genomics (e.g., CRISPR) methods to define these resistance mechanisms and define the dependencies that preferentially drive myeloma cells, including several collaborative studies with the lab of the co-PI Dr Lawrence Boise.

Program Name(s)

Translational Research Program

Project Title

“Functional precision medicine” to personalize Ras inhibitor-based combination therapies in myeloma

University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus

Dr. Eric Pietras is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He completed his PhD training in microbiology and immunology at UCLA in 2008. He subsequently joined the laboratory of Dr. Emmanuelle Passegué for postdoctoral training and started his independent faculty position at the University of Colorado in November of 2015, earning promotion to Associate Professor in July 2021. Dr. Pietras leads a research program that leverages his dual backgrounds in innate immunity and hematopoiesis, focusing on the interplay between inflammation and oncogenic mutations as a trigger for alterations in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSC) metabolism that promote evolution to malignancy. The goal of his lab is to identify novel approaches for targeting this pathogenic process to disrupt myeloid oncogenesis and improve patient outcomes.

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Project Title

Targeting the pathogenic 'fire triangle' of inflammation, metabolism and mutations in myeloid leukemogenesis

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

My passion for hematology started during my studies in Italy and France, where I investigated signaling pathways and mutated transcription factors in B-cell malignancies. After graduation, I switched focus to myeloid malignancy, by pursuing a PhD in the Vyas lab at the University of Oxford, known for having characterized leukemic stem cells in acute myeloid leukemia. There, by developing and deploying novel single-cell approaches, I studied how pre-leukemic clones gain advantage in human clonal hematopoiesis. Moreover, I assessed how gene mutations were associated with altered transcription and epigenetic de-regulation, therefore likely promoting leukemic cell maintenance and fueling relapse. Now, by joining the Armstrong Laboratory, I look forward to studying the principles of epigenetic regulation underlying oncogenic programs in this deadly disease, by performing more mechanistic studies characterizing the functional roles of chromatin complexes in leukemogenic gene expression.

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Project Title

Mechanisms of oncogenic gene regulation by MYST-family acetyltransferases KAT6A and KAT7 in AML

Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope

Stephen J. Forman, MD, is a hematologist-oncologist, international expert in leukemia, lymphoma, and bone marrow transplant (BMT), and pioneer in immunotherapy. Dr. Forman has spent his 45-year career at City of Hope (COH), leading the Department of Hematology for 38 years and directing the Hematology Malignancies Research Institute since 2015. Under his leadership, COH developed one of the world’s largest and most successful BMT centers, which has led to dramatic increase in survival rates for blood cancers. He also directs the T cell Therapeutics Research Laboratories, the goal of which is to develop new ways to use the immune system to fight cancer. In this role, he leads a team of scientists in developing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells for treatment of a variety of cancers, including leukemia. Based on this research, Dr. Forman has led the advancement of multiple laboratory discoveries to the clinic, including CD19-directed CAR T cells for adults with leukemia.

Program Name(s)

Academic Clinical Trials Program (ACT)

Project Title

CD19-CAR T cells as Consolidation for Older Adults with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Remission

Washington University in St. Louis

Dr. Walter is the Edward P. Evans Endowed Professor of Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Scientific Director of the Center for MDS in the Siteman Cancer Center. His laboratory at Washington University focuses on the discovery of mutations within the genomes of hematopoietic cells from patients with myeloid precursor conditions and MDS and the clonal evolution that occurs during disease progression. The lab continues to study the contribution of spliceosome gene mutations for MDS initiation and progression using primary patient samples and pre-clinical models with the goal of translating findings into the clinic to improve the lives of patients with blood cancers.

Program Name(s)

Specialized Center of Research Program

Project Title

Exploiting Vulnerabilities in RNA Splicing to Treat Hematologic Malignancies

Children's Research Institute

Michael Keller, M.D., is a pediatric immunologist at Children's National Hospital and specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of primary and secondary immunodeficiency disorders. He has authored many peer-reviewed articles and contributed to expert consensus guidelines on the treatment and diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency disorders. Dr. Keller is a member of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI); the Clinical Immunology Society; the European Society of Immunodeficiency; and the Primary Immunodeficiency Treatment Consortium (PIDTC).  Dr. Keller's research focuses on the use of adoptive T-cell therapies for treatment of infections in immunocompromised patients, including the use of this therapy to improve outcomes in children with primary immunodeficiency disorders as well as those undergoing bone marrow transplantation for cancer. 

He is the primary investigator of several Phase I-II studies of virus-specific T-cell immunotherapy. Dr. Keller lives in Maryland with his wife and two sons; and enjoys travel, hiking, and martial arts.

Program Name(s)

Translational Research Program

Project Title

T-cell immunotherapy for prevention of COVID-19 following bone marrow transplantation

Regents of the University of Michigan

I am a Research Scientist in the Deininger Lab at Versiti Blood Research Institute, where my work focuses on leukemia biology—particularly in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, mitochondrial function, and the identification of therapeutic targets in hematologic malignancies. I have extensive experience in experimental hematology, including stem cell assays, CRISPR-based genome editing, lentiviral and retroviral modeling, and advanced flow cytometry.

In my current role, I have led projects optimizing functional metabolic assays, such as Seahorse XF analysis, to study mitochondrial bioenergetics in rare stem cell populations. I also work extensively with mouse models of leukemia, including xenografts, and coordinate multi-institutional collaborations for biospecimen acquisition and translational research.

In August 2025, I will transition with the Deininger Lab to the University of Michigan, where I will hold a Research Assistant Professor appointment in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology. My goal is to continue bridging mechanistic studies with preclinical testing to develop and refine targeted therapies for hematologic malignancies.

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Project Title

Understanding the role of Metabolic Regulator SIRT5 in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Koichi Takahashi, MD, PhD is Associate Professor in the Departments of Leukemia and Genomic Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He received MD degree from Niigata University School of Medicine and PhD degree from Kyoto University School of Medicine, both in Japan. He then did internal medicine residency at Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, and Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, followed by hematology and oncology fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. During the fellowship, he was trained in Dr. Andrew Futreal’s Lab for cancer genomics. He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Medical Oncology. Dr. Takahashi is well known for his research in delineating how selection of pre-existing clonal hematopoiesis under chemotherapy contributes to the development of therapy-related myeloid neoplasms. His laboratory uses state-of-the-art single-cell technologies to understand the mechanism of leukemia development and create strategies for early detection and prevention.

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Project Title

Understanding the clonal origin, evolution, and progression of myeloid malignancies

University of Miami

Dr. Alderuccio is the Clinical Research Site Disease Group Leader in the Lymphoma Section at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Alderuccio’s institutional obligations include caring for patients with lymphoma, conducting clinical and translational research, mentoring junior faculty, and overseeing the clinical trial operations of more than 30 studies. He conducts clinical trials using novel therapeutics aiming to improve outcomes in patients with aggressive lymphoma. His translational research focuses on developing decision-making models that integrate imaging, biomarkers, and clinical data using machine learning approaches. Consequently, he is an author of more than 75 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has communicated his studies at national and international meetings. Dr. Alderuccio is also a member of the American Society of Hematology, where he serves on the Communications and Educational Affairs Committees.

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Project Title

Novel strategies toward improving outcomes in large B-cell lymphoma

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Dr. Stanley C. Lee, PhD, is an Associate Professor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. He received his graduate degree at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia, followed by postdoctoral training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Dr. Lee’s laboratory focuses on defining the molecular basis of blood cell production and how its dysregulation can lead to hematologic disorders such as age-related clonal hematopoiesis, myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia. He is interested in understanding the role of post-transcriptional regulators including RNA splicing factors and helicases in the pathogenesis of myeloid leukemias. One of his long-term goals is to translate basic research findings into new therapies for leukemia patients.

Program Name(s)

Translational Research Program

Project Title

Targeting oncogenic splicing with engineered T-cells in high-risk MDS and AML

University of Iceland

Professor Sigurður Yngvi Kristinsson is currently consolidating his position as one of the leading researchers world-wide in the field of multiple myeloma, its precursors, its epidemiology, progression, and treatment. This has been the main thrust of his scientific and clinical efforts from the time he defended his thesis on monoclonal gammopathies at the Karolinska Institutet in 2009. In 2012 he became the youngest full professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Iceland and he is a consultant at Landspitali University Hospital. He designed and leads the largest myeloma screening study in the world, the iStopMM project in which over 80,000 individuals provided informed consent. His current research group includes 7 PhD-students, three postdocs, a lab with 4 biologists, 6 research nurses, three statisticians/data manager, and five support staff. He is an author of more than 110 scientific papers including the current guidelines for myeloma treatment and follow up and has an h-index of 57.

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Project Title

Early Detection and Intervention in Smoldering Multiple Myeloma: population-based screening and treatment; Edit-SMM

University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus

Dr. Daniel Pollyea has received degrees from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and Stanford University. He served as Chief Medical Resident at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. He has been the Principal Investigator for multiple early-phase clinical trials and been involved in the clinical development and approval of four drugs for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). He has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, spoken to audiences around the world about this work, and is currently the Chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines Committee on AML. His work involves developing ways to target leukemia stem cells in patients with AML and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Eradication can result in deep and durable remissions, or even cures. His team’s efforts have involved identifying vulnerabilities in the ways that leukemia stem cells process energy. These weaknesses can be specifically exploited with novel drug therapies, and Dr. Pollyea is focused on developing and running clinical trials that use these agents to target these weaknesses.

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Targeting Leukemia Stem Cells in the Clinical Setting: The Development of A Comprehensive Program