Laboratory of Neoplastic Hematopoiesis

The Nam Lab seeks to decipher the genotype-to-phenotype relationships in neoplastic blood development. In particular, we recognize that somatic mutations alone do not fully explain cancer phenotypes and seek to define the non-genetic modulators of disease states. For example, our work in myeloproliferative neoplasms demonstrated that the transcriptional impact of somatic mutations varies as a function of cell identity. Thus, our goal is to understand how non-genetic modifiers of somatic mutation impact (such as cell identity, epigenetics and microenvironment) may dictate disease states and patient outcomes. Our lab focuses on developing single-cell multi-omics technologies and computational algorithms to address these questions directly in human hematopoiesis. In this way, we reveal fundamental concepts of tumorigenesis and evolution, as well as identify specific therapeutic targets for translational impact.

Active Projects

• Modulation of hematopoietic stem cells and microenvironment through cytokine signaling
• Clonal hematopoiesis and determinants of malignant transformation
• Lineage plasticity as a mode of therapy resistance