Projects

(This page is currently under development.)

 

Proper blood cell development (hematopoiesis) is essential for life and is tightly controlled by a fine-tuned regulatory network that is still incompletely understood. The critical importance of this is reflected in the wide range of diseases that can arise due to defects in the regulation of hematopoiesis, including immunodeficiency, autoimmunity and blood cell cancers.

 

The Schjerven lab studies normal and malignant immune cell development with a focus on transcriptional regulation, and the molecular mechanisms underlying how mutations in key regulatory factors can cause disease. The transcription factor Ikaros, encoded by the IKZF1 gene, is a major focus of ongoing work. Due to the many roles of Ikaros in blood cell development and function, the lab has several diverse and complementary research projects.