Xin Gao, PhD

Myeloid cancers are a group of blood diseases that happen when blood-forming cells in the bone marrow become abnormal. These changes often come from genetic mutations. One important mutation occurs in a gene called ASXL1, which is linked to the development of blood cancers and associated with poor prognosis. However, it remains unclear how ASXL1 mutations could drive blood cancers in humans. We recently found that, in younger mice, ASXL1-mutant blood stem cells do not grow out of control. But in older mice, these mutated cells do grow and expand. These suggest that aged bone marrow environment (BMM) may help these abnormal cells grow and cause leukemia. We also found that in older mice, the bone marrow has more inflammation and a higher number of stromal cells (cells that support blood cell growth), which can be mitigated by anti-aging therapy. In this project, we will study how aged BMM helps these mutant cells grow and test if targeting the aged environment alters the development of blood cancers. By understanding this process, we hope to find new ways to treat or even prevent blood cancers in humans.