Project Title: Assessing outcomes in patients with pediatric ALL with Duffy null associated neutrophil counts
Mentor: Jennifer Rothman, MD
Award Years: 2025-2027
Project Description: Children with homozygosity for the rs2814778 SNP in the ACKR1 gene have the Duffy null phenotype which is associated with a lower baseline absolute neutrophil count (Duffy null associated neutrophil count or DANC). A lower ANC can delay starting each new cycle of chemotherapy throughout ALL treatment and can lead to interruptions and dose reductions in maintenance chemotherapy. Chemotherapy delays and lower maintenance chemotherapy dose intensity have been associated with worse survival in pediatric ALL. The purpose of my research is to investigate whether pediatric ALL patients with the Duffy null phenotype have worse outcomes than other pediatric ALL patients.
Project Title: A deep learning framework for epigenetic reprogramming of T-cell exhaustion phenotypes
Mentors: Charles Gersbach, Ph.D. and Gregory Crawford, Ph.D.
Award Year: 2026-2027
Project Description: Cell state engineering enables the design of cells with defined functional properties, and is transforming therapeutic strategies across human diseases ranging from cancer to autoimmunity. Adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) is a leading example of this, whereby T cells are engineered to express receptors that recognize specific cell surface antigens and drive targeted immune responses. However, ACT efficacy is highly linked to T-cell fitness and persistence. Overcoming or reversing T-cell exhaustion through targeted epigenetic and transcriptional reprogramming thereby represents a major opportunity to improve engineered cell therapies. The purpose of my research is to leverage multiomic and perturbation data to build deep learning models that (1) interrogate the fundamental regulatory mechanisms underlying T‑cell exhaustion and (2) inform the engineering of more durable T‑cell products.
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Award Years: 2026-2028
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Award Years: 2026-2028
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