Research Abstract
My primary area of clinical activity and research focus is the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and related conditions. This research activity includes development of new therapies, as well as discovery of new somatic genetic mutations important in the pathobiology of this difficult and poorly-understood group of smoldering myeloid neoplasms.
As of 2020, there are 4 FDA-approved therapies for MDS - azacitidine, decitabine, lenalidomide, luspatercept - only a minority of patients receive substantial benefit from these drugs, and new approaches are needed. I am interested in exploring novel drugs and drug combinations to try to improve patient outcomes.
In addition, because rationally designed therapies are difficult to come by when our collective understanding of disease mechanisms is limited, I am also involved in collaborations with several laboratory-based scientists to try to discover new pathways disturbed in MDS and related disorders, with the goal of finding pathways that can be exploited therapeutically.
Finally, I am interested in the intersection of clonal hematopoiesis and marrow failure, as well as the non-hematologic effects of clonal hematopoiesis.