Welcome to the Sipkins Lab!
Dr. Sipkins' research focuses on defining the molecular characteristics of tissue microenvironments, or "niches", that foster the survival and regeneration of both normal and cancerous hematopoietic stem cells. Our laboratory also examines the impact of malignant growth on the function of the normal hematopoietic stem cell niche. In combination with classical molecular and cell biology approaches, the lab utilizes state-of-the-art multiphoton and confocal optical imaging techniques to explore these questions in vivo, in real-time.
Latest News
Our latest work was just published in Science Magazine. This paper describes our findings that leukemia cells create specific niches in the bone marrow where they attract normal stem cells. In these new tumor niches, the normal stem cells became compromised and were unable to leave.
We were recently awarded the NIH Director's New Innovator's Award! This award is for our work in live-cell imaging and targeted nanoparticles to study stem cell and tumor microenvironments in the bone marrow. The New Innovator Program is part of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research initiative and is part of a new NIH initiative to invest in the future of science by support of "exceptionally innovative investigators."
UC's article on the New Innovator Award
Our research is made possible by generous funding sources
Illinois Dept. of Public Health/Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute
NIH/NCI (K08)
NIH/Office of the Director New Innovator