Dorothy Sipkins, MD, PhD*

Dorothy Sipkins, MD, PhD*

Regulation of Leukemia Cell Dormancy by the Bone Marrow Microenvironment

While the majority of patients respond to initial therapy for leukemia, many will experience disease relapse. Leukemia cells need to be actively dividing to be susceptible to most chemotherapies; cells that are not actively dividing, or are “dormant” during chemotherapy, can therefore contribute to recurrence. In this proposal, we will test the novel hypothesis that specific molecules in the patient’s tissues (the “host microenvironment”) control leukemia cell dormancy. We propose a unique approach to intercept “pro-dormancy” signals from the bone marrow to render resistant leukemia cells susceptible to current therapies. To learn more, please visit our lab online.

http://biomed.uchicago.edu/common/faculty/sipkins.html

*Dr. Sipkins’ research is funded through a generous gift from The Charles Evans Foundation. She is now at Duke University