The paper develops ChromE-seq to study 3D chromatin architecture in fetal hematopoiesis, finding that T21 disrupts B-lineage development by altering chromatin connectivity and regulatory circuits.

bioRxiv · Oct 11, 2026 · PreprintGenomics

A CRISPR-Based Humanized Model Reveals Cooperative Role of STAG2 Loss in Familial GATA2-Deficient MDS Progression

Grace S. Freed, Miguel Quijada Álamo, L Lee, Ke Wang, Nikita Poddar, Subrina Persaud, Saul Carcamo, Persephone Fiore, Emma K Kim, Isabella G. Martinez, Mimi Zhang, Shayan Saniei, Clifford Chao, Levan Mekerishvili, Zayna Diaz, , Elvin Wagenblast

This paper uses a CRISPR-based humanized model to show that STAG2 loss cooperates with GATA2 deficiency to drive MDS progression through increased HSC self-renewal and myeloid bias.

Blood Advances · Sep 24, 2026Peer-reviewedCancer Biology

Early microglial priming in Alzheimer's disease revealed by ME-seq

Bohan Zhu, Anurupa Ghosh, Zhe Wang, Zhicong Liao, Michael Gyasi Appiah, Jiayi Li, Mimi Zhang, Federico Di Tullio, Agata Kurowski, John F. Fullard, Elvin Wagenblast, Martin J. Walsh, Alison Goate, Panos Roussos, Ka Lung Cheung, , Sai Ma

The paper introduces ME-seq, a technology that profiles DNA methylation, gene expression, and chromatin accessibility in single nuclei, revealing early microglial priming in Alzheimer's disease.

bioRxiv · Feb 2, 2026 · PreprintGenomics

Ontogeny Dictates Oncogenic Potential, Lineage Hierarchy, and Therapy Response in Pediatric Leukemia

Ke Wang, Shayan Saniei, Nikita Poddar, Isabella G. Martinez, Clifford Chao, Subrina Autar, Persephone Fiore, Saul Carcamo, Meghana Sreenath, Jack H. Peplinski, Rhonda E. Ries, Anna Huo-Chang Mei, Noshin Azra Rahman, Levan Mekerishvili, Miguel Quijada‐Álamo, , Eric Chi Wai So

This study shows that the developmental stage of hematopoietic stem cells influences leukemic transformation, lineage hierarchy, and therapy response in pediatric leukemia.

Cancer Discovery · Dec 6, 2025Peer-reviewedCancer Biology

Learning the cellular origins of cancer using single-cell chromatin landscapes

Mohamad Daniel Bairakdar, Bruno Giotti, Wooseung Lee, Paula Štancl, Elvin Wagenblast, Dolores Hambardzumyan, Paz P Polak, Rosa Karlić, Alexander M. Tsankov

This study uses single-cell chromatin accessibility data and machine learning to predict cancer cell origins, revealing new insights into tumor development and challenging existing views on cancer origins.

bioRxiv · Apr 6, 2025 · PreprintCancer Biology

FLT3 is genetically essential for ITD-mutated leukemic stem cells but dispensable for human hematopoietic stem cells

Joana L. Araújo, Elvin Wagenblast, Véronique Voisin, Jessica L. McLeod, Olga I. Gan, Suraj Bansal, Liqing Jin, Amanda Mitchell, Blaise Gratton, Sarah K. Cutting, Andrea Arruda, Monica Doedens, Anthea Travas, Dennis Dong Hwan Kim, José‐Mario Capo‐Chichi, , John Edgar Dick

This study shows FLT3 is essential for ITD-mutated leukemic stem cells but not for normal hematopoietic stem cells, supporting targeted therapies for AML.

Blood · Jan 22, 2025Peer-reviewedCancer Biology

Distinct gene regulatory networks govern hematopoietic and leukemia stem cells

Boyang Zhang, Alexander J. Murison, Angelica Varesi, Naoya Takayama, Liqing Jin, Nathan Mbong, Erwin M. Schoof, Stephanie Zhi-Juan Xie, Amanda Mitchell, Julia Etchin, Alfred Thomas Look, Mathieu Lupien, Mark David Minden, Jean C. Y. Wang, Peter W. Zandstra, , Stanley W.K. Ng

This study identifies distinct gene regulatory networks in hematopoietic stem cells and leukemia stem cells using integrated gene expression and chromatin accessibility data from AML patients and human umbilical cord blood.

bioRxiv · Sep 28, 2024 · PreprintBioinformatics

Functional Profiling of Single CRISPR/Cas9-Edited Human Long-Term Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Elvin Wagenblast, Maria Azkanaz, Sabrina A. Smith, Lorien Shakib, Jessica L. McLeod, Gabriela Krivdova, Joana Araújo, Leonard D. Shultz, Olga I. Gan, John Edgar Dick, Eric R. Lechman

The paper develops a method to efficiently edit LT-HSCs at single-cell resolution and demonstrates distinct functional outcomes of GATA1 editing.

Nature Communications · Oct 18, 2019Peer-reviewedGenetics