The bone marrow (BM) microenvironment is a unique cellular architecture which crucially regulates self-renewal and differentiation potential of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells through cell-cell interaction or the release of soluble mediators. These evolutionary conserved processes that evolved to protect normal hematopoietic stem cells from elimination and to regulate demand-adapted responses during inflammation are frequently hijacked in cancer and leukemia. The goal of our research is to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms how different components of the BM microenvironment such as immune cells and stromal cells affect disease-initiating and -maintaining leukemia stem cells (LSCs) and protect them from immune-mediated elimination. We take advantage of state-of-the art technologies, well-established chronic and acute myeloid leukemia mouse and patient-derived xenograft models in order strengthen our understanding on LSCs and to translate our findings into human disease.
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