How healthy and JAK2‑mutant blood stem cells compete in myeloproliferative neoplasms
Official title: Cell Competition in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
Funded at State University New York Stony Brook · NIH-11131232 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at whether healthy blood stem cells can keep JAK2‑mutant cells from taking over in people with myeloproliferative neoplasms.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State University New York Stony Brook NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stony Brook, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $362,298 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA266294-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11131232 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for related clinical efforts would be people with myeloproliferative neoplasms (for example, polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, or myelofibrosis) who carry the JAK2V617F mutation or have detectable clonal blood cells.
✕Less likely to help
People whose disease is driven by non‑JAK2 mutations or who already have transformed acute leukemia may not benefit from strategies focused on JAK2‑driven cell competition.
What this research studies
Researchers grow healthy and JAK2V617F‑mutant blood stem/progenitor cells together in lab dishes and follow which cells expand. They transplant competing cells into animal models to observe how mutant and wild‑type cells behave in a living bone marrow environment. The team measures signals such as the Notch ligand Dlk1 and examines how a mutant marrow environment influences competition. The goal is to find signals or conditions that help healthy cells outcompete mutant clones and prevent progression to frank leukemia.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could point to treatments that boost healthy stem cells or change the marrow environment to reduce mutant clone expansion and lower the risk of leukemia.
How similar studies have gone: Laboratory and animal studies have shown that healthy cells can sometimes suppress mutant clones, but translating these findings into effective patient treatments remains largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
-
State University New York Stony Brook
Stony Brook, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhan, Huichun — State University New York Stony Brook
- Study coordinator: Zhan, Huichun
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Biomarker clues to catch pancreatic cancer early in cysts
A study from UC San Diego is testing blood and cyst-fluid markers to help tell high-risk pancreatic cysts from low-risk ones so that people with pancreatic cysts can get the right care sooner.
-
Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Research Consortium
A large research collaboration across multiple centers aims to improve survival for patients with myelofibrosis and related myeloproliferative neoplasms through coordinated laboratory, translational, and clinical work.
-
Understanding how different CALR mutations drive certain blood cancers
This grant explores how two CALR mutation types cause myeloproliferative neoplasms and could lead to better treatments for people with these blood cancers.
-
Cell Competition in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
This NIH grant explores how healthy and mutant blood stem cells interact in certain blood cancers to understand why some patients progress and how future therapies might help.
-
Targeting ERK’s brake pedals to slow cancer progression
Aims to block the parts of ERK signaling that speed up cancer progression, by guiding drugs to the substrate-binding domains that act like accelerator pedals in myeloproliferative neoplasms and related cancers.
-
Biomarker work to predict pancreatic IPMN cancer risk
A Duke University researcher is testing biomarkers to tell which pancreatic IPMN cysts are likely to become invasive cancer.
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.