Dear Biology Students, Postdocs, and Faculty,
Next week for our Faculty Seminar Series at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, December 15th, we will have a talk by Dr. Eman Khatib-Massalha of the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and Department of Hematology, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Dr. Khatib-Massalha will present a talk titled “From Defense to Dysregulation: Understanding Neutrophil Plasticity in Health and Disease”.
Talk Abstract:
Neutrophils are essential for immune homeostasis and are normally cleared by bone
marrow macrophages to prevent inflammation and tissue damage. In
myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), myeloid malignancies driven by mutations
such as JAK2 V617F , neutrophils become abnormally long-lived and proinflammatory.
My research shows that JAK2 V617F neutrophils evade macrophage clearance through
upregulation of the “don’t-eat-me” signal CD24, leading to their accumulation and
pathological interactions with megakaryocytes that drive thrombocytosis and
myelofibrosis. Importantly, genetic deletion or antibody blockade of CD24 restores
neutrophil clearance, ameliorates disease features, and prevents myelofibrosis.
These findings reveal defective neutrophil clearance as a key link between
inflammation and MPN progression and identify CD24 as a promising therapeutic
target.
Looking forward to seeing you!
Maya
