Chairman: Jaroslaw Maciejewski, MD, PhD, FACP
The Department of Translational Hematology and Oncology Research (THOR) conducts cancer research to develop and make available novel diagnostic tools, targeted therapies and clinical trials for direct use in patient care.
Based on the most current scientific standards, THOR researchers apply advances in the laboratory to provide the highest level of care for patients.
Mission Statement
An important part of the Taussig Cancer Institute research efforts, THOR is engaging a new generation of physician scientists to develop scientific advances and translational research that is internationally recognized.
Scientific Areas of Emphasis
- Cancer Genomics and Cytogenetics
- Cancer Stem Cell Biology
- Epigenetics
- Cancer Immunology and Tumor Surveillance
- Drug Design
- Cancer Pharmacology/Pharmacogenetics
- Signal Transduction
Patients
Department physician scientists are available for consultation regarding second or third opinion evaluations, participation in clinical trials and referrals to subspecialists. Some diseases targeted in the department’s research include but are not limited to the following:
- Acute Leukemia
- Bone Marrow Failure including:
- Aplastic Anemia
- Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria
- Myelodysplastic Syndrome
- Large Granular Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Lung Cancer
- Melanoma
- Mesothelioma
- Multiple Myeloma
- Myeloproliferative Syndromes
- Ovarian Cancer
- Renal Cancer
- Sarcoma
Research News & Articles
Taussig Cancer Institute has been awarded more than $2 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for the renovation and expansion of its translational cancer research facilities. The National Center for Research Resources, part of the National Institutes of Health, awarded the grant, which will create 17 new jobs.
Dr. Lindner Receives Department of Defense Exploration-Hypothesis Development Award for MDS Research
Dr. Daniel Lindner, M.D., Ph.D. received the Exploration-Hypothesis Development Award for a study titled "Complementation of Myelodysplastic Syndrome Clones with Lentivirus Expression Libraries."
In this study, bone marrow cells from patients with Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) will be infected with engineered lentivirus that carries a genetic library. That is, each virus caries a single normal human gene. Infection of the patient's MDS cells with virus in culture will result in overexpression of a single, random normal human gene in each of the MDS cells.
If the experiment works, some lentivirus-infected MDS cells will recover the ability to grow and differentiate normally. Researchers will screen for these “recovered” MDS cells and hope to identify the gene(s) that “correct” the behavior of the abnormal MDS cells.
In September 2009, Jaroslaw Maciejewski, MD, PhD, Chairman of the Department of Translational Hematology and Oncology Research, received a five-year, $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help fund his research of viruses as a potential cause of certain types of bone marrow cancers and other blood disorders.
Our Laboratories
- Anjali Advani, MD
- Ernest C. Borden, MD, FACP
- Ram Ganapathi, PhD
- Eric Hsi, MD
- Daniel J. Lindner, MD, PhD
- Patrick Ma, MD, MS
- Jaroslaw Maciejewski, MD, PhD, FACP
