Who We Fund

University of California, San Francisco

Dr. Arun Wiita is a physician-scientist and Associate Professor in the Dept. of Laboratory Medicine and Dept. of Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Wiita’s research focuses on mass spectrometry-based proteomics, target discovery, protein engineering, and cellular engineering toward the development of novel therapies for blood cancers. Dr. Wiita also directs the UCSF Stephen and Nancy Grand Multiple Myeloma Translational Initiative (MMTI) Laboratory. Dr. Wiita is a prior recipient of the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, a Clinical Scientist Development Award from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator Award, among others, and is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He completed his residency in Clinical Pathology at UCSF, his MD and PhD at Columbia, with graduate training in single molecule biophysics, and undergraduate studies in Chemistry at Princeton.

Program Name(s)

Translational Research Program

Project Title

Optimized, computationally engineered CD70-targeting CAR-T cells for high-risk multiple myeloma

OHSU Knight Cancer Institute

Samantha Tauchmann Ph.D. is a postdoc at the Oregon Health & Science University. She received a B.S. in Molecular Life Sciences from Maastricht University in the Netherlands and her M.Sc. in Biomedical Sciences from the Transnational University Limburg. She completed her PhD under the mentorship of Prof. Dr. Jürg Schwaller at the University Children`s Hospital Basel in Switzerland, where she investigated the role of the methyltransferase NSD1 and the key erythroid transcription factor, GATA1, in erythroleukemia. Dr. Tauchmann joined the Maxson laboratory in February 2023. Her postdoctoral studies are focused on uncovering how SETBP1 mutations contribute to leukemia by modulating the function of methyltransferases. With a strong commitment to understanding blood cell development and leukemia biology, Dr. Tauchmann aspires to identify new therapeutics for SETBP1-mutant leukemias. Her long-term goal is to run an academic laboratory focused on epigenetic dysregulation in blood cancers.

Project Title

Histone methyltransferases as key dependencies in SETBP1-mutant leukemias

Mayo Clinic, Rochester

Grzegorz (Greg) Nowakowski, M.D., is a consultant and a Professor of Oncology and Medicine, Division of Hematology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester,Minnesota, where he also serves as the Aggressive B-cell Lymphoma Program Director, the Chairman of Education,and an Advanced Hematology Fellowship Program Director. Dr. Nowakowski received his MD from the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland. He completed his internal medicine residency at Yale University Medical School -Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk, Connecticut and his fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Dr Nowakowski joined the Mayo Clinic Lymphoma Group in 2006 as a Mayo Foundation Scholar.Heis an alumnus of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Clinical Research Training Institute and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Leadership Development Program. Dr. Nowakowski’s research focuses on the molecular classification and biology of lymphoproliferative disorders,new approaches to clinical trial design and novel therapies for lymphoma and hematological disorders. Heis an investigator in University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic Lymphoma Specialized Center of Research Excellence program, where he leads career enhancement program. Dr. Nowakowski has authored over 200 articles and numerous book chapters. Dr.Nowakowski serves as a principal investigator of multiple investigator-initiated and cooperative group clinical trials(ECOG, Alliance) and industry studies and serves and a member of ECOG Lymphoma Core Committee. Dr.Nowakowski also chairs the Lymphoma Committee and Hematological Malignancy Program in the Academic and Community Cancer Research United (ACCRU) network. He currently serves as a vice Chair of ASH Clinical Trial Innovation Subcommittee chair of ASCO Research Community Forum and ASCO Clinical Trial Access and Participation Taskforce. Dr. Nowakowski has served as Voting Member of the Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Program Name(s)

IMPACT

Project Title

REACH: Recruitment Expansion through community Access to Clinical trials in Hematologic malignancies

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Project Title

Glycotyping as a novel approach to study leukemia stem cell heterogeneity and function

Weill Cornell Medicine

Dr. Cerchietti is physician scientist dedicated to translational research in hematology oncology. His lab conduct mechanistic studies on the genetic, metabolic, and epigenetic regulation of lymphoma and microenvironment cells. Therapeutic approaches developed from his lab have been successfully translated to patients in investigator-initiated to cooperative group phase 3 clinical trials. Dr. Cerchietti also developed biomarkers to improve the precision of these interventions. Successfully translated research includes the concept of epigenetic priming to improve chemotherapy and immunotherapy as well as the discovering of the mechanism of action of XPO1 inhibitors in lymphomas contributing to gain FDA approval. A major focus of his lab is the study of the microenvironment to provide novel therapeutic targets as well as patient selection biomarkers (the “LME” classification) to improve the precision of therapies and increase disease curability.

Program Name(s)

Translational Research Program

Project Title

Targeting the microenvironment to increase immunity and immunotherapy response in DLBCL

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

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Meng Li is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Health Services Research at the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center and a nonresident fellow at the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics at the University of Southern California. Dr. Li completed her PhD in Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy at University of Washington, where co-PI, Dr. Flowers also completed his MS. Dr. Li’s research uses various data sources including population-based cancer registries, nationwide administrative claims databases, national survey data, and data from clinical trials and observational series to examine disease burden, factors that influence health care utilization, the effect of health care utilization on health outcomes, and the cost-sharing burden of prescription drugs. In particular, Her research has used Optum and SEER-Medicare data to examine disparity in initiation of immunotherapies among lung cancer and melanoma patients, the association between spending on several types of treatment and outcomes in breast cancer, and catastrophic spending among cancer patients on oral targeted anticancer medicines. Dr. Li has also developed methods to quantify novel elements of value for medical technologies in economic evaluations, which has important implications on the practice of value assessment. She meets regularly and collaborates with Drs. Shih and Flowers. Dr. Li’s research work has been published in top clinical, health economics, and health policy journals.

Program Name(s)

Equity in Access

Project Title

Investigating the Impact of Insurance Coverage on Access to Care and Outcomes among Lymphoma Patients

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Dr. Keisuke Ito is an Associate Professor of Cell Biology and Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he has also served as the Director of Scientific Resources at the Stem Cell Institute. After his postdoctoral training, first at Keio University, where he also completed his clinical training, and then at Harvard, he joined the Einstein faculty in 2012. Dr. Ito’s team has focused on advancing our understanding of the regulatory pathways controlling the equilibrium of stem cells. At the core of his work is the process of stem cell division, and the balance between self-renewal and differentiation, which directly impacts tissue homeostasis and the development of hematological malignancies. Dr. Ito is devoted to targeting mitophagy, a mitochondrial quality-control process, as a therapeutic strategy, and has cut a path along the leading edge of research into the role of Ten-eleven translocation in the pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndrome.

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Targeting mitophagy of leukemia stem cells for therapy

BC Cancer

Dr. Manabu Fujisawa received M.D. from Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan. Motivated by the experience as a hematologist having treated many patient with treatment-resistant disease, Dr. Fujisawa conducted a clinical study on clonality and clinical progression in multiple myeloma in Kameda Medical Center, Chiba. Dr. Fujisawa then began his basic research at University of Tsukuba in 2016, where he received PhD under the supervision of Pr. Mamiko Sakata-yanagimoto. Pr. Sakata’s lab focused on clonal hematopoiesis and malignant lymphoma, which Dr. Fujisawa studied the function of clonal hematopoietic-derived immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. In 2022, Dr. Fujisawa joined the laboratory of Pr. Christian Steidl in Lymphoid Cancer Research at the BC Cancer Research Centre in Vancouver, Canada, as a postdoctoral fellow.

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Project Title

Spatial architecture and malignant cell characterization of nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma

TAP Partner

Crossbow Therapeutics is a biotechnology company determined to improve the lives of people with cancer by unlocking the therapeutic potential of T-cell receptor (TCR)-mimetic antibodies. The company’s T-Bolt™ therapies are next-generation, easily assembled immunotherapies directed with high precision at previously unreachable cancer cell targets.

Program Name(s)

Therapy Acceleration Program

Project Title

A phase 1 study of CBX-250, a TCR-mimetic antibody, in patients with AML, MDS or CMML

Stanford

I am a hematologist/oncologist specializing in the treatment of multiple myeloma and related disorders. I am an Associate Professor in the Division of BMT/ Cell Therapy Division at Stanford University. I lead the Myeloma Disease Focused Group and am the Associate Director for Clinical Research for the Division. I have a broad research portfolio that includes clinical trials of novel therapies in myeloma, translational and outcomes research. I have a special focus on immunotherapy related research and am the principal investigator of several clinical trials of CAR-T cell therapy and bispecific antibodies in myeloma. I also co-lead a multi-center consortium of academic medical centers in the US collaborating to generate insights from real-world application of CAR-T therapy and bispecific antibodies in myeloma. I am actively involved with cooperative groups and professional societies, including holding leadership positions with the goal of advancing treatment of hematological disorders.

Program Name(s)

Career Development Program

Project Title

Improving Immunotherapy in Multiple Myeloma Through Innovative Clinical Trials, Real-World Evidence and Correlative Research

University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus

Dr. Craig T. Jordan is currently the Nancy Carroll Allen Professor and Chief of the Division of Hematology at the University of Colorado Denver.  He has been studying human leukemia stem cells for over 20 years, using molecular and genetic analyses to identify characteristics that may enhance targeted therapy for leukemia. Dr. Jordan completed his doctoral studies at Princeton University and then went on to perform post-doctoral studies at MIT’s Whitehead Institute. He has been an editorial board member for several journals including Cell Stem Cell, Leukemia, and PLoS Biology. Dr. Jordan has published over 150 peer-reviewed original research articles, review articles and book chapters. His honors include the Helen Hay Whitney Fellowship, the Stohlman Scholar Award from Blood Cancer United, the Wehrheim Professorship in cancer research, and the NCI Outstanding Investigator award.

Program Name(s)

Discovery

Specialized Center of Research Program

Project Title

Therapeutic targeting of AML stem cells 2023

Modeling LSC heterogeneity at unprecedented resolution in AML