2026 Summer Update DEPARTMENT OF HEMATOLOGY NEWSLETTER • JULY 2026 • ISSUE 2
Scientific Highlights
New Hires and Transfers
Awards & Recognitions
Conference Highlights
Win Wang’s Symposium
Other Updates
Save the Date
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From scientific breakthroughs to community milestones, the first half of 2026 has been an exciting time for the Department of Hematology! In this issue, explore advances in collaborative research spanning clonal hematopoiesis, blood stem cell aging, sickle cell disease, and bone marrow failure syndromes; meet our newest team members; celebrate recent awards; and revisit the symposium honoring Dr. Wang’s enduring legacy.
SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS Anti-aging Drugs Restore Hematopoietic Stem Cell Function in Sickle Cell Disease Collaborative research co-led by Dr. McKinney-Freeman and Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy faculty member Dr. Sharma, with contributions from Dr. Loeffler, provided the first comprehensive examination of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) health and function in mice and young individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) (Barve et al., Sci Transl Med 2026, in press). The team found that even in young SCD patients, HSCs exhibit features of premature aging and DNA damage, and have a significantly reduced blood-forming potential upon transplantation. Remarkably, treating young SCD mice with anti-aging drugs increased HSC numbers and restored their function post-transplant. These findings show that selectively eliminating aged, dysfunctional HSCs represents a novel strategy to improve bone marrow health during SCD, and highlight the importance of critically evaluating HSC quality before selecting patients and cellular products for autologous gene therapy. 1
SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS Improving Surveillance in Children with Bone Marrow Failure Through Peripheral Blood Testing Clinical researchers from the Bone Marrow Failure Program and the Center of Advanced Practice, led by Dr. Wlodarski, demonstrated the utility of peripheral blood testing for leukemia surveillance in pediatric patients with bone marrow failure syndromes (Attardi et al., Blood 2026). While bone marrow analysis is the gold standard for detecting cancer-associated genetic changes in blood cells, it is invasive and thus performed infrequently. The team showed that the same pre-leukemic clones can be detected in both peripheral blood and bone marrow analyses, supporting implementation of a minimally invasive approach for more frequent monitoring between annual bone marrow exams. This will enable earlier detection of leukemia and timely intervention to improve patient outcomes. The study reflects a multidisciplinary effort involving advanced practice providers Nathan Gray and Michelle Boals, genetic counselors Sara Lewis and Passant Shaker, and faculty Drs. Kennedy, Takemoto, Bhoopalan, Christakopoulos, Reiss, and Jesudas.
Top: members of the Bone Marrow Failure team, led by Marcin Wlodarski, MD, PhD. Bottom: Yuta Yamada, MD, PhD (L), and Masayuki Yamashita, MD, PhD (R).
A Stress Response Driving Hematopoietic Stem Cell Aging In a study published in Nature Communications, a team led by Dr. Yamashita reported a novel mechanism underlying hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) aging (Yamada et al., Nat Commun 2026). The authors exposed mice to various age-associated stressors—including inflammation, transplantation, and oncogenic stress—and found that all triggered activation of the necroptosis effector MLKL in HSCs, pointing to a shared stress response pathway. Contrary to expectations, MLKL activation did not induce cell death; instead, it impaired HSC function by accumulating in their mitochondria and directly disrupting mitochondrial membrane integrity. These findings may provide clues for preventing premature HSC aging and age-related hematologic disorders.
Tracking Clonal Hematopoiesis in Children with Sickle Cell Disease In a multi-institutional, NHLBI-supported consortium study co-supervised by Drs. Weiss and Takemoto, researchers found that children with sickle cell disease (SCD) have a higher prevalence of clonal hematopoiesis (CH)—a condition in which a mutated blood cell gains a growth advantage and expands over time, which can increase the risk of blood cancer. Using highly sensitive sequencing for CH mutations in 2,318 children with SCD and 2,957 comparison individuals, they also found that hydroxyurea therapy does not increase the prevalence of CH (Ulloa et al., Blood 2026). These findings are important given concerns that CH clones may expand after curative therapies for SCD, such as bone marrow stem cell transplantation or gene therapy, predisposing these individuals to myeloid leukemia. Studying CH in children with SCD may also provide insight into early-life mutagenesis and disease-related stressors.
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SCIENTIFIC HIGHLIGHTS A New Role for GATA1 in Erythropoiesis A new study by Dr. Crispino’s lab, in collaboration with Drs. Xu and Bhoopalan, reveals that GATA1—an essential regulator of red blood cell gene expression and maturation—also coordinates energy metabolism during erythropoiesis (Ling et al., Blood 2026). During normal red blood cell production, developing cells undergo carefully orchestrated metabolic changes as they mature. The authors found that a truncated version of the GATA1 protein lacking the N-terminus disrupted this process, biasing erythroid progenitors toward glycolysis (a less efficient way of generating energy from glucose) and away from terminal maturation, thereby impairing red blood cell production. Interestingly, erythroid cells from patients with RPS19-mutant Diamond-Blackfan anemia, a disease associated with reduced GATA1 levels, showed increased expression of glycolytic genes, pointing to potential new avenues for therapeutic intervention.
How Hematopoietic Stem Cells Evade Immune Attack in Aplastic Anemia In a multi-institutional study led by Dr. Wlodarski, scientists used state-of-the-art genomic techniques to profile the largest reported cohort of patients with aplastic anemia (AA), including 619 children and adults (Yoshida et al., Nat Genetics 2026). In AA, autoreactive T cells target and destroy hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, creating strong selective pressure for surviving cells to evade immune attack. Using high-resolution single-cell genomics, the team found that protective mutations arise as independent events in different stem cells, rather than through stepwise acquisition within a single clone. The authors also learned that patients carried multiple clones converging on similar escape mechanisms. Importantly, these clones were not associated with increased leukemia risk, and often restored blood production and provided long-term remission, challenging prior assumptions.
NEW HIRES AND TRANSFERS Meet the newest members of the Hematology team, from new hires and transfers to colleagues taking on new roles! John Brooke, PhD, MPH
Manager, Epidemiologic Research. Dr. Brooke is a clinical epidemiologist with expertise in digital data transformations and regulatory frameworks. His work at the department focuses on strengthening epidemiological initiatives, adapting existing research frameworks to support collaboration, and frameworks to support institutional leveraging data through evidence-based analytics to advance patient care. Before joining St Jude, Dr. Brooke served as the VP of Data and Regulatory at US Biologic, Inc.
Siva Sai Muddineni, PhD
Postdoc, Weiss lab (adjunct in the Yen lab). Dr. Muddineni completed his PhD at Tel Aviv University, Israel, where he studied genotoxic and inflammatory stress responses in human hematopoietic stem cells. At St Jude, his research focuses on investigating investigating protein quality-control pathways in β-thalassemia and on developing in vivo therapeutic genome-editing strategies for erythroid precursors using lipid nanoparticles.
Riley Roberts
Researcher, Weiss lab. Riley graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and biochemistry. Earlier this year, he began his first biomedical research role at St. Jude. He works with Ruopeng Feng, PhD, on the epigenetic epigenetic regulation of globin gene switching, focusing on the role of Zbtb7a in this process.
Pamela Adede
Clinical Research Associate II. Originally from Nigeria, she holds a B.S. in Biology with a Chemistry minor from Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2024, she joined St. Jude as a Clinical Research Associate in the Radiology Department, focusing research. She recently transferred focusing on neuro-oncology to Hematology to support studies on stem cell mobilization in SCD, along with research on bone marrow failure syndromes and severe hemolytic anemias.
Elodie Henriet, PhD
Postdoc, Derecka lab. Dr. Henriet earned her PhD at the University of Orléans, France, studying microRNAs in skin physiology and disease. In 2022, she joined Dr. Esther Obeng’s lab at St. Jude to study the bone marrow microenvironment in myelodysplastic myelodysplastic syndromes, collaborating with Dr. Marta Derecka. Earlier this year, she fully moved to Dr. Derecka’s lab to continue her research.
Mac Williamson, PhD
Postdoc, Clements lab. A Memphis native, he completed his PhD in the Clements lab earlier this year through the St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and is now continuing his postdoctoral work with the same group. His research focuses on uncovering adaptive mechanisms activated by variousactivated genetic loss-of-function approaches during HSC emergence in zebrafish. 3
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital residents honored Clifford Takemoto, MD, with the annual St. Jude Teaching Award in recognition of his positive impact on residents’ rotations and learning at both St. Jude and Le Bonheur. They praised Dr. Takemoto’s outstanding teaching, his involvement in seeing consults with them, and being the only faculty member with access to one of the external hospitals.
Ulrike Reiss, MD, and collaborators won the First Poster Prize at the 19th Annual Congress of the European Association for Hemophilia and Allied Disorders (EAHAD) in Dublin, February 3-6, 2026, for their presentation of results from an open-label doseescalation study of a novel self-complementary AAV vector for gene transfer in Hemophilia B.
Shannon McKinneyFreeman, PhD, was recognized with the 2025 Faculty Mentoring Award by the St. Jude Postdoctoral Association. Nominated by four mentees, McKinneyFreeman is celebrated for a thoughtful approach to mentorship that prepares mentees for the diverse challenges and opportunities of scientific careers.
Dr. Reiss accepting the prize at EAHAD 2026.
Dr. McKinney-Freeman accepting the 2025 Faculty Mentoring award.
The EAGER (Empowering Adolescents with Gynecology and Hematology Education and Resources) Clinic won the 2026 St. Jude Clinical Care Improvement Team Award. Led by Dr. Nidhi Bhatt, in collaboration with Dr. Rohith Jesudas along with Gynecologists, Advanced Practice Providers, Nurses and Care Coordinators, School Advocacy staff, a Social Worker, a Dietician, and a Genetic Counselor, the clinic is a comprehensive effort designed to treat adolescents with heavy menstrual bleeding and iron deficiency anemia. By integrating multiple specialties into a single coordinated program to improve diagnosis, treatment, and care coordination for a frequently underserved population, EAGER has improved access, enhanced care delivery, and elevated the patient and family experience.
A multidisciplinary team, led by Shengdar Tsai, PhD, and including academic and industry partners, was awarded an ARPA-H grant for their project titled “Delivering Raredisease In Vivo Editors (DRIVE): a scalable platform for AIdriven in vivo HSC genomic medicines.” Funding over 5 years totals up to $28.5M. Shannon McKinney-Freeman, PhD, was awarded an NHLBI R01 grant entitled “Testing senescence-targeting therapies to improve hematopoietic stem cell function and mobilization during sickle cell disease,” based on her group’s recent collaborative work with Dr. Sharma uncovering premature aging features in HSCs from mice and individuals with SCD (see page 1 of this newsletter). The proposal scored in the first percentile and will support the preclinical, IND-enabling studies to translate the findings to patients. Akshay Sharma, MD, Alexis Leonard, MD, and Jonathan Yen, PhD, are collaborators on the grant. Marcin Wlodarski, MD, PhD, was awarded the ASH Bridge Grant, a program that helps member hematologists continue critical blood disease research amid NIH funding reductions. Both Georgios Christakopoulos, MD, and Senthil Bhoopalan, MD, PhD, received the 2026 ASH Scholar Award: Christakopoulos in the ‘Basic/Translational Research Fellow to Faculty Scholars’ category and Bhoopalan in the ‘Basic/Translational Research Junior Faculty’ category.
Dr. Bhatt alongside EAGER Clinic team members during a patient visit.
Georgios Christakopoulos, MD, received the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO) Young Investigator Award in recognition of excellent research presented at the 2026 ASPHO Conference. 4
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS Congratulations to our trainees on their achievements!
Top: Charlie Roberts MD, PhD presenting the award to Jingjing Chen, PhD. Bottom: Lili Kotmayer, MD, PhD, when she matched with her residency program.
Diana Sa da Bandeira, PhD (Postdoctoral Research Associate, Clements lab) earned a K99 award from NHLBI for her project ‘Comparative vertebrate neural crest contribution to the hematopoietic stem cell specification niche’. Trent Hall, PhD (Postdoctoral Research Associate, Crispino lab) received the Edward P. Evans Foundation Young Investigator Award for his project ‘Identifying novel regulators of leukemic progression in GATA2 deficiency syndrome’. Nishi Harwani, MD (Pediatric Hematology Oncology Fellow co-supervised by Drs. Bhoopalan and Weiss) received an ASH Research Training Award for Fellows (RTAF), which provides protected time for clinical, basic, or translational research to junior MD and MD-PhD researchers in hematology. Jonny Mendoza-Castrejon, PhD (Postdoctoral Research Associate, Derecka lab) was selected to receive support from the Basic and Translational Research Training in Pediatric Classical Hematology T32 Program. He joined St. Jude in November 2025, and his project focuses on understanding the role of the bone marrow niche in pediatric blood diseases. Melodie Doute, PhD (Postdoctoral Research Associate, Derecka lab) received an oral presentation award at the Keystone Symposia on Stromal Immunology, held in Banff, Canada, in February 2026. She was also awarded the Keystone Symposia Future of Science Scholarship. Jingjing Chen, PhD (Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cheng lab) won 3rd place in the Oral Presentation Award for her talk entitled 'Systematic perturbation reveals pleiotropic cis-regulatory elements beyond current deep learning models' at the 12th Annual St. Jude Comprehensive Cancer Center Postdoctoral Symposium. Lili Kotmayer, MD, PhD (former Postdoctoral Research Associate, Wlodarski lab) matched with her first-choice residency program at Boston Children's Hospital, specializing in Pediatrics.
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS In spring 2026, our department contributed to four major international meetings, presenting the following work: The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) 2026 World Congress (April 19-22, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) ‘Perspectives of Patients, Caregivers and Healthcare Professionals in Sri Lanka and Thailand Regarding Hemophilia B Gene Therapy’ — Nidhi Bhatt, MD The American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO) Conference (April 29–May 2, Minneapolis) ‘−175 A>G HPFH Installation via Base Editing More Effectively Corrects β-Thalassemia than CAS9 BCL11A’ — Georgios Christakopoulos, MD ‘A National Multicenter Registry for Pediatric Myelodysplastic Syndromes Within the NAPAAC Consortium’ — Tamanna Shamrin, Jessica Uhrich, Andrea Kennedy (led by Dr. Wlodarski) ‘Implementation of Individualized Pain Plans for Adolescent Patients With Sickle Cell Disease in EHR’ — Linda Schiff (led by Dr. Rai) ‘Immune Dysregulation and Autoimmunity With Hodgkin Lymphoma & EBV Seropositivity—A Case Report’ — Sana Mohiuddin (led by Dr. Jesudas) The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting (May 11–15, Boston) ‘High-throughput Lead Target Discovery for Gene Therapy of Bone Marrow Failure Disorders’ — Harshita Sharma, PhD (Tsai lab) ‘Massively Parallel Evaluation of Cas9 Cellular Activity using Pooled GUIDE-seq-2’ — Azusa Matsubara (Tsai lab) The European Hematology Association (EHA) 2026 Congress (June 11-14, Stockholm, Sweden) ‘Longitudinal Effect of Hydroxyurea and Chronic Exchange Transfusion Therapies on Echocardiographic Parameters of Sickle Cell Cardiomyopathy’ — Jackie Queen, MD (led by Dr. Rai)
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HONORING WINFRED C. WANG’S LEGACY On May 13, patients, caregivers, colleagues, mentees, family, and friends gathered at the Marlo Thomas Center (MTC) Auditorium to honor Dr. Winfred “Win” Wang’s life, career, and the indelible mark he left on the patients he cared for and the colleagues he worked with. Titled “Bridging Science and Compassion in Sickle Cell Disease: Celebrating the Legacy of Winfred C. Wang, MD,” the symposium opened with remarks by Drs. Downing and Weiss and featured presentations from leaders in SCD, colleagues, patients, and families. Dr. Thompson (University of Pennsylvania) provided a historical overview of SCD care, highlighting advances in disease management and future directions. Colleagues and mentees—including St. Jude faculty Drs. Reiss, Rodriguez-Galindo, Hankins, and Takemoto; nurse Lynn Rodriguez; and external faculty Drs. Lane (Emory University), Wilimas (University of Tennessee), Lebensburger (University of Alabama at Birmingham), and Jeng (Stanford University) —reflected on Dr. Wang’s transformative and far-reaching impact. They highlighted his clinical and scientific excellence, his leadership of landmark practice-changing trials, his deep commitment to patients, and his dedication to mentoring the next generation of faculty, fellows, and healthcare providers. Especially touching were the Top: Attendees at the symposium. Bottom, SCD parent Audrey Davis recounting her testimonies of SCD parent Audrey Davis and experiences and interactions with Dr. Wang. SCD warrior Tabatha Marmon, who shared their experiences with Dr. Wang and underscored the profound impact he had on their lives far beyond the hospital walls. The symposium was flawlessly organized by Yvonne Carroll, Jane Stringfellow, Drs. Ulrike Reiss and Jane Hankins, and Lesa Palmer and Sean Dubeck. About Win Wang. Dr. Wang joined St. Jude in 1979 and went on to lead the Division of Hematology (1996–2004) and the NIH-funded St. Jude Sickle Cell Center (2003–2008). He authored over 230 papers and 40 book chapters and led seminal studies that transformed the SCD field, including natural history and cohort studies and the pivotal BABY HUG trial, which helped establish hydroxyurea as standard therapy for infants and children with SCD. His work also advanced the prevention of infectious complications, stroke risk detection through Dr. Wang with a patient. imaging, and initiatives to support the educational success of children with SCD. Equally enduring is his legacy as a mentor and role model, characterized by integrity, warmth, and unwavering commitment to excellence—qualities that continue to influence his patients, trainees, and the global hematology community. 6
OTHER UPDATES On March 13, the Department hosted the 2026 Sickle Cell Clinical Research and Intervention Program (SCCRIP) Investigators’ Meeting, bringing together 145 researchers and clinicians at the MTC Lecture Hall and online. The meeting marked the introduction of Deepa Manwani, MD, as the new director of SCCRIP and featured presentations from local and national investigators involved in the program. The discussion focused on collaborative opportunities and the expansion of research avenues, and included working group presentations spanning renal, cardiopulmonary, bone, brain, data science, genomics, pain, psychosocial, and transfusion-related aspects of SCD. The meeting was organized by Tiana Thomas (Lead Clinical Research Associate for SCCRIP), with administrative support from Mary Burks and Sherkeitha Mitchell from CEMO. Launched in 2014 by Dr. Jane Hankins, SCCRIP is a longitudinal cohort study that leverages prospective lifespan cohort data, from infancy to adulthood, to accelerate discoveries that improve the lives of individuals with SCD. Now in its 12th year, the program has enrolled more than 1,800 participants.
Dr. Manwani speaking at the meeting.
This summer, our department is hosting four medical students through the Robert A. Winn Clinical Investigator Pathway Program (Winn CIPP): Jessica Hiley from UAMS School of Medicine (AR), Danielle Johnson from Lincoln Memorial University (TN), and Alejandra B. Lamoso Muñoz and Derek Ocasio from the University of Puerto Rico (PR). This six-week summer experience introduces medical students early in their training to clinical research and community engagement, preparing future physicians to strengthen clinical trial participation and improve care for all communities. This institutional effort is led by Nidhi Bhatt, MD, on the Hematology side, in partnership with Sally McIver, PhD (Academic Programs), and Victor Santana, MD (Global Pediatric Medicine). Jackie Queen, M.D., M.P.H., a fellow from the Rudolph Jackson Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Fellowship Program, graduated this June and will soon join UTHealth Houston, Department of Internal Medicine, as an Assistant Professor. There, he will care for adults with SCD and continue his clinical and research interests, including sickle cell transition of care, sickle cell cardiomyopathy, and dyslipidemia. During his time at St. Jude, he has cared for individuals with SCD across St. Jude, the Methodist SCD Program, and the Regional One Health Sickle Cell Program.
SAVE THE DATE Upcoming events hosted by the Department:
Sept 26, 2026
2026 Annual Sickle Cell Day
A fun-filled event to support, educate, and empower children living with SCD and their families. Families will enjoy a morning of educational activities, games, community resources, and opportunities to connect with others affected by SCD.
We’re excited to begin recruiting volunteers for our 2026 Sickle Cell Day celebration! Please sign up to volunteer using this link or by clicking the flyer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040B4DABAD2EA2F94-64729905-sickle Coordinated by Hematology Patient Services. Please contact Audrey Cole for more information.
Sept 21-25, 2026
The Sickle Cell Disease Nursing Excellence Train-the-Trainer Bootcamp Note: Registration is closed An intensive educational program that prepares nurses to deliver high-quality, specialized care for individuals with sickle cell disease.
Oct 25-27, 2026
North American Pediatric Aplastic Anemia Consortium (NAPAAC) Symposium
Bone Marrow Failure and Myelodysplastic Syndromes: From Discovery to Future Strategies (St. Jude and virtual) Organized by Drs. Wlodarski, Kennedy, and Bhoopalan
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FACES OF THE DEPARTMENT Stills from the Hematology faculty retreat in Little Rock, AR, on April 24-25, 2026
Sickle Cell Disease Team gathering at Top Golf on June 18, 2026
The mission of the St. Jude Department of Hematology is to provide outstanding clinical care, perform innovative research and promote education, with the long-term goal of improving the lives of children with catastrophic non-malignant blood diseases.
Department of Hematology Newsletter July 2026 Contact: Sandra.CapelleraGarcia@STJUDE.ORG
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