Turning age‑related altered blood stem cells into protective blood health by targeting HSF1
Leveraging HSF1 Attenuation to Transform Clonal Hematopoiesis into Beneficial Hematopoiesis
The team is testing whether lowering the activity of a protein called HSF1 can keep mutated, age‑related blood stem cells working without letting them turn into leukemia in older adults with clonal hematopoiesis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Case Western Reserve University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cleveland, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11239817 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From your perspective, scientists are using lab and animal work to see if dialing down HSF1 can make clonal hematopoiesis (age‑related expansion of mutated blood stem cells) helpful instead of harmful. They combine common CH mutations (DNMT3A or TET2) with HSF1 removal in mouse models and use drug‑like methods to degrade HSF1 to compare effects. Researchers measure how well blood stem cells repopulate, the balance of blood cell types, and whether blood cancers or other diseases develop. The goal is to find approaches that preserve immune function while lowering the chance that mutated cells progress to leukemia or other complications.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who might be most relevant are adults with age‑related clonal hematopoiesis or known DNMT3A/TET2 mutations and older adults at risk for CH.
Not a fit: People without clonal hematopoiesis or those who already have established leukemia driven by other mechanisms are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to treatments that prevent clonal hematopoiesis from progressing to leukemia while keeping blood and immune function intact.
How similar studies have performed: Previous lab studies show HSF1 is important for leukemia stem cells and that targeting it can weaken those cells, but using HSF1 reduction to transform CH into beneficial hematopoiesis is a novel approach not yet tested in humans.
Where this research is happening
Cleveland, United States
- Case Western Reserve University — Cleveland, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhao, Chen — Case Western Reserve University
- Study coordinator: Zhao, Chen
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 below.