Dr. Papapetrou [Edward P. Evans Foundation Innovator] studies a disease called myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), which often progresses to leukemia. She is using a novel approach to identify the specific genetic alterations involved in the development of MDS, which are not currently known.
She aims to understand how tumor suppressor genes can promote cancer through a type of genetic state called "haploinsufficiency." By reprogramming human pluripotent stem cells to harbor specific deletions in their chromosomes, she seeks to characterize novel genetic causes of MDS. This approach could be a model for uncovering genetic mechanisms of other cancers as well.
