simply blood

I guess we have all eaten sandwiches. Personally, I have a love-hate relationship with them. They can be tasty, healthy, diverse, and most of all easy and effortless to make. They can also be extremely messy while you are eating them. This is because of quirky fact about sandwiches: I always associate them with PRESSURE. Because, if you think about it, there are roughly three parts on a sandwich: a slice of bread, the stuffing and another slice of bread. A sandwich is basically a handheld mini-pressure machine. It is almost certain that if you put pressure on one of the parts, the pressure will be transferred to the other parts. There is no other way to eat it- unless you disassemble the sandwich, but then the advantages of the sandwich are lost. By now you might be thinking you are reading a foodie blog, but the point of this blog is not the food but how the sandwich reminds me of the current paradigm for academic science. Each step in our careers can be considered part of the sandw…

We have all felt the inertia when we need to write – whether it’s an abstract, paper, report or grant – and it can feel daunting and hard to get started. We feel like we need a big slot of time, or we need to have all the conditions just right (if you are anything like me - quiet, a cup of tea, and tidy desk) or that there’s just one more experiment that we need to complete before we sit down and begin.    

And, what happens when we do not get started? We lose the momentum of our greatest ideas. We end up working closer to deadlines and under pressure, which may not create our best work.  Or worse, if there’s no deadline (for example, when you are writing a paper), we end up putting it off and suddenly we’ve been scooped, or the data has lost its vitality.

During my 15 years of organizing, editing and developing grants with leading scientists, I have learned that writing is a process. Learning how we approach writing and the roadblocks that come up for us has captivated me and I ha…

Each month, Simply Blood spotlights a lab focused on the research of basic hematology, immunology, stem cell research, cell and gene therapy, and other related aspects.  Get to know these different labs around the world! This month, we are featuring the Passegué Lab at Columbia University in New York City, USA.


How long have you had your lab?
I got officially hired by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in December 2005, but I didn’t hire my first lab member until March 2006. My lab relocated to Columbia University in New York City last year.

How many members make up your lab? Students/postdocs?
Since the relocation, my lab consists of 4 postdocs, 1 MD/PhD fellow, 1 graduate student, 1 lab manager and a junior tech, as well as a number rotating students and interns.

What is the major research theme of your lab?
The big question is regulation of blood production. All the current projects further fit under two axes – 1) emergency myelopoiesis and regenerative processes, an…

We are beginning a new blog series on SimplyBlood called “Exploring Experimental Hematology.” Here we will highlight and deconstruct some our favorite manuscripts from the ISEH society journal. Welcome to entry 1.

If you are a millennial or are raising a post-millennial you must be familiar with unboxing YouTube videos where you can watch someone open a new item and then explain the item in detail. While I might not fully understand why my kids enjoy watching other kids open toys, I do get the excitement of sharing my thoughts and deconstructing a new and exciting Experimental Hematology article for the community.

In this blog, I'll be exploring the review “Hematopoietic stem cell fate through metabolic control” by Kyoko Ito and Keisuke Ito.

My reason for reading the paper:
They have provided us with an excellent review on HSC and metabolism that is a must read for anyone in the HSC field. I still remember the first time I heard a Toshio Suda talk about hematopoietic stem cells …

The 47th Annual International Society for Experimental Hematology meeting took place in sunny Los Angeles, California, August 23-26th. The exciting program (https://www.iseh.org/page/2018Program) included career and technology sessions, as well as talks and poster presentations from trainees, new investigators and leaders in the field.


On behalf of the ISEH Board of Directors, volunteers and staff, we'd like to thank our 2018 sponsors and exhibitors, seen below. We hope to see you all in Brisbane in 2019!


Thank you to our 2018 Platinum Sponsors



Thank you to our 2018 Gold Sponsors







Thank you to our 2018 Silver Sponsor



Thank you to our 2018 Educational Support Sponsors

Each month, Simply Blood spotlights a lab focused on the research of basic hematology, immunology, stem cell research, cell and gene therapy, and other related aspects.  Get to know these different labs around the world! This month, we are featuring the Ding Lab at Columbia University.


How long have you had your lab?
I started in February 2013. So a little over 5 years.

How many members make up your lab? Students/postdocs?
There are four graduate students and one postdoc in the lab currently. I would like to have another postdoc or two. That will be the ideal composition of my ‘dream’ lab.

What is the major research theme of your lab?
We investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms, particular extrinsic mechanisms, that regulate hematopoietic stem cell function. We also study how these mechanisms contribute to hematological diseases.

What's your best approach to mentoring students in the lab?
Everyone is different. I try to tailor my mentoring style to each student. The goal …