Systems Biology Research Labs

Mark Boldin, M.D., Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Systems Biology. Current research in his laboratory is defining the contribution of both small and long noncoding RNAs to the regulation of gene expression during the development and functioning of the immune system. Besides being fundamentally important, this work can shed light on how the dysregulation of immune cell signaling leads to autoimmunity and cancer and potentially could lead to the creation of new therapeutic modalities to fight these devastating diseases.

Jianjun Chen, Ph.D., is a professor and vice chair of the Department of Systems Biology. Chen is also the holder of the Simms/Mann Family Foundation Chair in Systems Biology and a scholar of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Chen’s research program mainly focuses on integrated analyses of noncoding RNAs regarding genetic and epigenetic changes in the development of leukemia and lymphoma. Most recently, his group discovered the role of the fat mass- and obesity-associated protein as N6- methyladenosine RNA demethylase and as a driver of leukemogenesis.

Zhaohui Gu, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Systems Biology. Gu's research lab conducts research that focuses on identifying novel leukemia subtypes and the driver genetic lesions, developing clinically applicable leukemia classification system, developing machine-learning-based analysis tools for leukemia/cancer genomics studies, studying the mechanism of leukemogenesis in each disease subtype and developing therapeutic strategies for each leukemia subtype.

Nora Heisterkamp, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Systems Biology. In the early 1980s, Heisterkamp, along with her colleagues, uncovered the structure of the so-called “Philadelphia chromosome” (Ph), the first known genetic lesion discovered as a cause of human cancer. Her lab is investigating molecular mechanisms through which precursor B-lineage ALL cells are protected against eradication by therapy when they interact with nonleukemia cells in their environment.

Vu Nguyen Ngo, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Systems Biology. Ngo’s laboratory focuses on genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of cancer mutations and their interactions in driving tumor development. His laboratory will employ large-scale functional genetic screens using RNA interference technology in combination with genomics and proteomics approaches to dissect disease mechanisms in lymphoid malignancies. He also specializes on developing animal tumor models for aggressive lymphomas, including mantle cell lymphoma.

Zhijian Qian, Ph.D., is a professor and vice chair of the Department of Systems Biology. Qian’s research program is focused on uncovering the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive the initiation and progression of myeloid malignancies, with a primary focus on myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Qian’s research lab goal is to define the molecular complexity underlying this process and to identify novel regulatory networks that control hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) fate decisions, leukemic stem cell (LSC) maintenance and disease evolution.

Rui Su, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Systems Biology. Su's laboratory mainly focuses on determining the biological functions and underlying mechanisms of RNA modifications and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in tumorigenesis (with an emphasis on acute myeloid leukemia and hepatocellular carcinoma). Several foundation awards (e.g., the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease and the Leukemia Research Foundation) currently support her laboratory.

Srividya Swaminathan, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Systems Biology. Her research aims to develop targeted immunotherapies against aggressive lymphoid malignancies. Towards this end, her laboratory will delineate the differences in cell-autonomous processes and the immune micro-environment during normal and malignant B and T cell lymphopoiesis. Using mass cytometry (CyTOF), flow cytometry, and CIBERSORT on samples from transgenic lymphoma/leukemia mice and patients, her laboratory will generate immune fingerprints of normal and malignant lymphocyte development. This knowledge will be applied to identify the Achilles heel of malignant lymphocytes in lymphoid neoplasia, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphomas.