RESEARCH AT MASS GENERAL
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David T. Scadden, M.D.
Gerald and Darlene Jordan Professor of Medicine, Harvard University
Director, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-Director, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University
Co-Chair, Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University
Chief, Hematologic Malignancies, MGH Cancer Center
dscadden@mgh.harvard.edu

Dr. Scadden’s laboratory is focused on hematopoietic stem cell biology. We are trying to solve three problems that limit the ability of stem cells to be used more effectively as therapy. The first is stem cell number. We are using a range of genetic and cell biologic approaches to understand the cell-autonomous and extrinsic regulators of stem cell cycling and self-renewal. Specifically, our group uses both comparative genomics and shRNA forward screening to identify candidate mediators of the self-renewal program in hematopoietic stem cells. Second, we are studying stem cell localization as delivery of stem cells to specific sites is critical for their application clinically. We have identified novel mechanisms regulating the ability of the stem cell to engage its proper niche using genetic models and high resolution in vivo imaging. Third, we are deeply interested in viewing the stem cell through the microenvironment in which it resides. We have defined key elements of the stem cell niche in the bone marrow and how these features may be modified to improve stem cell number and function. We are now applying these to in vitro models adaptable to high throughput chemical and genetic analyses to further understand niche-stem cell interactions and how they might be modified therapeutically.