simply blood

On April 10th, ISEH hosed a webinar – actually more of a ‘Happy Hour’ to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on academic laboratories across the world.  Led by an impromptu panel of investigators (Camilla Forsberg, Trista North, Ross Levine, Len Zon, Kristina Kirshner, Momoko Yoshimoto-Kobayashi, Hanna Mikkola, Jennifer Trowbridge and Grant Rowe), we discussed the impact the global pandemic on our laboratory operations, our careers and those of trainees, and transitioning to work from home.  Katie Strang and Dovile Svirupskaite mediated the event and answered questions on the side in the parallel chat conversation. We are looking forward to holding another virtual meeting in the coming weeks to touch on these issues and new challenges faced by investigators all over the world. Here, we will present some highlights: On laboratory operations Most panelists faced a total shutdown of laboratory research, with access to facilities limited to ‘essential personnel’ necessary ...

Exploring Experimental Hematology: Tandem P-selectin glycoprotein ligand immunoglobulin (TSGL-Ig) prevents lung vaso-occlusion in sickle cell disease mice In this issue of Simply Blood, Derek Chan is exploring Experimental Hematology by highlighting and deconstructing one of the journal’s latest manuscripts on work led by first author Ravi Vats from the laboratory team of Dr. Prithu Sundd ( Vats et al ., 2020 ). How do vaso-occlusive episodes occur in sickle cell disease? The clinical course for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) often involves recurrent and unpredictable episodes of painful vaso-occlusive episodes (VOEs) that may precipitate life-threatening sequelae.  While the molecular basis for SCD is well understood, the complex mechanisms underlying VOEs are not as well elucidated. Figure 1: (Left) Ravi Vats and (Right) Dr. Prithu Sundd. In these last two decades, several research groups have worked to characterize the contributions of both cellular and solub...

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 Liu Lab at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China. 1. How long have you had your lab?  11 years. I set up my lab in Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2009. 2. How many members make up your lab?  Students/postdocs? Currently, there are 17 members in my lab, including myself, 2 staff scientists and 14 graduate students. 3. What is the major research theme of your lab? Our lab is focused on developmental hematopoiesis, primarily using zebrafish and mouse as animal models in addition to human cell cultures. 4. What is the most exciting project in your lab right now? There are many exciting projects ongoing in my lab. The most fascinating project is to dissect the ...

Dear ISEH members and stakeholders, As you are undoubtedly aware, COVID-19 has been making headlines around the world for the past few weeks and months. On behalf of the ISEH Board of Directors, I would like to extend our heartfelt wishes that you, your family and friends are well.  Here, at ISEH, we are continuing to monitor the situation closely to determine whether any changes will occur for the ISEH 49th Annual Scientific Meeting in New York City on 20-23 August, 2020. The health and safety of our event attendees and partners is of the utmost importance and we will be following any recommended guidelines and best practices laid out by relevant health and safety entities as August approaches. In response to the uncertainty we face due to the COVID-19 outbreaks around the world, ISEH will be extending our Call for Abstracts deadline to May 8 (previously April 13). Please note, submission of an abstract is FREE to ISEH members. We hope that you will continue to submit ...

Cristina Lo Celso obtained her PhD exploring epidermal stem cells and the role of beta-catenin signalling in adult epidermal cell fate specification at University College London/Cancer Research UK, under the supervision of Fiona Watt. She then moved to Boston to join David Scadden’s lab as a postdoctoral fellow, where she established novel microscopy techniques and tools to visualise haematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow microenvironment for the first time in vivo and in real-time. Cristina is currently a Professor of stem cell biology at Imperial College London and a satellite investigator at the Francis Crick Institute, where her research focuses on understanding haematopoietic stem cell function during steady-state and in the presence of stress, such as leukaemia development and infection.  How long have you had your lab? 10 years How many members make up your lab? We are 8 in total – 3 postdocs and 5 PhD students. I also co-supervise a number of PhD students who at...

Co-first authors (Left to Right): Dr. Constantina Christodoulou, Dr. Joel Spencer and Dr. Shu-Chi (Allison) Yeh Over the last few decades, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been prospectively identified and studied based on their ability to functionally regenerate and maintain the entire blood system through serial transplantation.  While many important determinants of HSC activity have been elucidated through these foundational assays, less is known as to how HSCs function in unperturbed states within their native microenvironments.  Advancements in genetic tools have recently begun to open up opportunities for researchers to address these gaps in our understanding of HSC biology.  Here, I interviewed co-first authors Dr. Constantina Christodoulou, Dr. Joel Spencer and Dr. Shu-Chi (Allison) Yeh, who provided some further commentary on their recent successful efforts to image HSCs in live animals with the support of collaborative teams led by Dr. Fernando Camargo ...

Scientists are like bakers. Although a great baker will work hard and put all their effort to make an amazing cake, it would remain incomplete and less attractive without frosting. The same could be applied to your career in biomedical research. But what is the perfect ratio of frosting for showcasing your cake? A prolific scientific career is not all about the science. Although you must invest countless hours to diversify your expertise, make yourself attractive for future employers and collaborators, and progress throughout your journey as a scientist, there are many skills which are essential for becoming a successful independent researcher that you cannot learn in the lab. In many institutions, including scientists holding a tenure-track position in the United States, there are requirements above scholarly activity such as teaching and service components. To this end, as careers evolve and expand, many scientists take on additional service and leadership roles within their insti...