Research Focus
The Leukaemia Metabolism Laboratory investigates topics at the interface of oncology, immunology and biochemistry.
A major aspect of its research program is the development of humanised mouse models using patient samples, normal cord blood or bone marrow-derived stem cells and recently engineered, improved recipient mouse strains to model systemic disease. We apply integrated omics profiling and single cell sequencing in combination with CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing to characterise the molecular responses to standard and novel therapies.
Specifically, the lab investigates the role of lipid desaturation and ferroptosis in leukaemic stem and immune cell compartments, and aims to identify metabolic vulnerabilities that can be exploited to develop novel, effective therapies for AML.
Research Projects
Current Research Projects
Targeting Lipid Droplet Homeostasis to Develop Therapies for Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (NHMRC Ideas Grant 2024-2027)
Past Research Projects
Optimising the Efficacy of Imetelstat Therapy in Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (NHMRC New Investigator Project Grant 2019-2022)
Funding
- NHMRC Ideas Grant (2024-2027)
- Play for a Cure Foundation (2024)
Publications
Bruedigam C, Porter AH, Song A, Vroeg In de Wei G, Stoll T, Straube J, Cooper L, Cheng G, Kahl VFS, Sobinoff AP, Ling VY, Jebaraj BMC, Janardhanan Y, Haldar R, Bray LJ, Bullinger L, Heidel FH, Kennedy GA, Hill MM, Pickett HA, Abdel-Wahab O, Hartel G, Lane SW. Imetelstat-mediated alterations in fatty acid metabolism to induce ferroptosis as a therapeutic strategy for acute myeloid leukemia. Nat Cancer. 2024 Jan;5(1):47-65. doi: 10.1038/s43018-023-00653-5. Epub 2023 Oct 30. PMID: 37904045; PMCID: PMC10824665.
Waksal JA, Bruedigam C, Komrokji RS, Jamieson CHM, Mascarenhas JO. Telomerase-targeted therapies in myeloid malignancies. Blood Adv. 2023 Aug 22;7(16):4302-4314. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023009903. PMID: 37216228; PMCID: PMC10424149.
Austin RJ, Straube J, Halder R, Janardhanan Y, Bruedigam C, Witkowski M, Cooper L, Porter A, Braun M, Souza-Fonseca-Guimaraes F, Minnie SA, Cooper E, Jacquelin S, Song A, Bald T, Nakamura K, Hill GR, Aifantis I, Lane SW, Bywater MJ. Oncogenic drivers dictate immune control of acute myeloid leukemia. Nat Commun. 2023 Apr 14;14(1):2155. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37592-9. PMID: 37059710; PMCID: PMC10104832.
Further Information
Laura Bray (QUT - Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia)
Hilda Pickett (CMRI – Children’s Medical Research Institute, Sydney, Australia)
Omar Abdel-Wahab (MSKCC – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA)
Florian Heidel (MHH – Hannover Medical School, Germany)
Uwe Platzbecker (Leipzig University Hospital, Germany)
Lars Bullinger (Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany)
Kyohei Nakamura (AbbVie, Japan)