Research Areas
Dr. Dick's research program is focussed on elucidating the mechanisms underpinning the stemness state of human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and leukemia stem cells (LSCs) and to transform these findings into new therapies and biomarkers.
We are aiming to answer the following questions:
- What makes a stem cell a stem cell?
- Which stem cell properties are shared between HSCs and LSCs?
- Which stem cell properties are different?
- How do HSCs transform into LSCs?
To answer these questions, our lab projects are focused on the following objectives:
- Identifying stemness regulators in human HSCs
- Identifying stemness regulators in LSCs
- Identifying and characterize LSC subclones responsible for AML relapse
- Identifying risk alleles that predispose for AML