This study uses DNA methylation-based epigenome editing to durably and reversibly silence genes in human hematopoietic stem cells, demonstrating its application in modulating platelet function.

bioRxiv · Oct 8, 2026 · PreprintGenomics

Human genetics implicates a BACH2-NRF2 axis in fetal hemoglobin activation

C. Guo, Uma P. Arora, Xiaoheng Cheng, Wanying Xu, Liam D. Cato, Rick Li, Henry Y. Lu, Andrew Lee, Fulong Yu, Gaurav Agarwal, Peng Lyu, Tianyi Ye, Mateusz Antoszewski, Mariel Wissmann, Baraka Stewart Mkumbe, , Vijay G. Sankaran

This study identifies a BACH2-NRF2 axis regulating fetal hemoglobin activation through genetic and functional analyses in a large multi-ancestry cohort.

Nature · Sep 30, 2026Peer-reviewedGenetic & Genomic Medicine

Single-cell multiomic mapping of genetic predisposition to childhood B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Andrew Lee, Anna‐Lena Neehus, Lara Wahlster, Gaurav Agarwal, Chen Weng, Allison Zhang, Tanxin Liu, Spencer D. Shelton, Tianyi Ye, Lucrezia della Volpe, Ofir Cohn, Michael Poeschla, Emily King, Samuel A Ha, Alexandra K. Turvey, , Vijay G. Sankaran

The paper uses single-cell multiomic analysis to identify genetic variants and regulatory disruptions linked to childhood B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

bioRxiv · Aug 7, 2026 · PreprintCancer Biology

Genetic variation reveals a homeotic long noncoding RNA that modulates human hematopoietic stem cells

Peng Lyu, Gaurav Agarwal, C. Guo, Adam Sychla, Wallace Bourgeois, Tianyi Ye, Chen Weng, Mateusz Antoszewski, Samantha Joubran, Alexis Caulier, Michael Poeschla, Scott A. Armstrong, Silvi Rouskin, Vijay G. Sankaran

The paper identifies a genetic variant associated with reduced blood counts and cancer protection, showing it disrupts a lncRNA that regulates HOXA gene expression in hematopoietic stem cells.

Cell · May 1, 2026Peer-reviewedGenetics

Inherited resilience to clonal hematopoiesis by modifying stem cell RNA regulation

Gaurav Agarwal, Mateusz Antoszewski, Xuejun Xie, Yash Pershad, Uma P. Arora, Chi-Lam Poon, Peng Lyu, Andrew J. Lee, C. Guo, Tianyi Ye, Laila Barakat Norford, Anna‐Lena Neehus, Lucrezia della Volpe, Lara Wahlster, Diyanath Ranasinghe, , Vijay G. Sankaran

The paper identifies a genetic variant that protects against clonal hematopoiesis by regulating RNA-binding protein MSI2 in hematopoietic stem cells.

Science · Jan 1, 2026Peer-reviewedGenetics

Gene-centric functional dissection of human genetic variation uncovers regulators of hematopoiesis

Satish Kumar Nandakumar, Sean McFarland, Laura Marlene Mateyka, Caleb A. Lareau, Jacob C. Ulirsch, Leif S. Ludwig, Gaurav Agarwal, J Engreitz, Bartlomiej P. Przychodzen, Marie Ellen McConkey, Glenn S. Cowley, John G. Doench, Jaroslaw Pawel Maciejewski, Benjamin L. Ebert, David E. Root, Vijay G. Sankaran

The paper performs a pooled loss-of-function screen in hematopoietic cells to identify genes underlying GWAS loci associated with red blood cell traits, finding 77 genes at 38 loci with biological relevance.

eLife · May 9, 2019Peer-reviewedGenomics