A bone marrow support-cell protein (CNOT6L) that may drive progression to acute myeloid leukemia

Project 3: Role of stromal cell-activated CNOT6L deadenylase in driving AML transformation

NIH-funded research Columbia University Health Sciences · NIH-11181658

The team is checking whether higher CNOT6L levels in bone marrow support cells help drive progression from myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in people with blood disorders.

Quick facts

Grant typeP01 program project
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionColumbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (New York, United States)
Project IDNIH-11181658 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Researchers will use mouse models that activate β-catenin in bone-forming cells and blood or bone marrow samples from patients whose MDS progressed to AML to study CNOT6L levels and activity. They will force CNOT6L expression in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells to see if it causes AML-like disease and inactivate CNOT6L to see if that reverses or blocks transformation. The team will compare CNOT6L expression in patient cohorts and animal models and study how chronic inflammation (for example, IL-1 exposure) affects CNOT6L in stem cells. These experiments aim to show whether keeping CNOT6L low supports normal myeloid differentiation and prevents leukemia evolution.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates to participate or donate samples would be people with MDS, especially those at high risk of progression or who recently progressed to AML, and patients with AML.

Not a fit: People without bone marrow disorders or with cancers unrelated to myeloid disease are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this project.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If confirmed, this work could identify CNOT6L as a target for therapies to prevent or reverse progression from MDS to AML.

How similar studies have performed: Preclinical mouse models and analyses of patient samples support a role for CNOT6L in transformation, but targeting CNOT6L in patients remains untested.

Where this research is happening

New York, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.