Extending blood stem cell health in middle age
Official title: Developing Effective Approaches to Extend Hematopoietic Healthspan by Targeting Cell-Extrinsic and Cell-Intrinsic Alterations at Middle Age
Funded at Jackson Laboratory · NIH-11352530 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are working to keep blood-forming stem cells healthier in middle-aged adults to lower the later risk of blood cancers, heart disease, and diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Jackson Laboratory NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Bar Harbor, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2018 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $608,811 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK118072-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11352530 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be middle-aged or older adults who have clonal hematopoiesis or are at high risk for age-related blood disorders.
✕Less likely to help
Young people without age-related blood changes or individuals with advanced, unrelated medical conditions are unlikely to get direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
This work looks at why certain mutated blood stem cells expand as people age and become linked to disease. Researchers use a mouse model of a common human mutation (DNMT3A) to mimic how aging changes the bone marrow and stem cell metabolism. They focus on both inside-the-cell changes (like mitochondrial function) and outside-the-cell signals from the aging bone marrow, then test approaches to reverse those changes in mice. The goal is to find strategies that could eventually be turned into treatments or prevention steps for people.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could lead to treatments that prevent or slow clonal hematopoiesis and lower risks of blood cancers, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes in older adults.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has linked clonal hematopoiesis to higher disease risk and early lab studies support roles for the bone marrow environment and mitochondrial changes, but therapies to stop CH are largely novel and untested in people.
Where this research is happening
-
Jackson Laboratory
Bar Harbor, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Trowbridge, Jennifer Jean — Jackson Laboratory
- Study coordinator: Trowbridge, Jennifer Jean
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.