Divij Verma, Research Assistant Professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, shared a post on LinkedIn about a paper he co-authored with colleagues, published in Cancer Discovery:
“Humbled to share that our latest work is now published in Cancer Discovery:
Elevated clonal hematopoiesis in 9/11 first responders has distinct age-related patterns and relies on IL1RAP for clonal expansion.
In this study, we analyzed one of the largest cohorts of 9/11 first responders and discovered that environmental exposure at 9/11 Ground Zero is associated with increased prevalence of clonal hematopoiesis (CH), with a mutation spectrum not previously reported in CH. We also identified a critical role for IL1RAP in exposure-induced CH, suggesting a new therapeutic opportunity.
CH is a pre-malignant condition that can predispose individuals to blood cancers such as leukemia and also contributes to inflammation and cardiovascular disease.
Our findings highlight the long-term health risks of environmental toxic exposures and underscore the urgent need for continued monitoring and support for this heroic population.
This study reflects our broader effort to understand how environmental exposures damage stem cells, accelerate pre – cancer development, and promote cancer – and how we might intervene to prevent these outcomes.
I am deeply grateful to our collaborators, mentors, and the patients and first responders who made this work possible. Rachel Zeig-Owens, David Prezant, Michael Savona, Ulrich Steidl, David Goldfarb, Amit Verma.”
Julio Aguirre-Ghiso, Rose C. Falkenstein Chair in Cancer Biology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, shared this, adding:
“Amazing work from investigators at the Cancer Dormancy Institute at Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center. Congrats, Divij Verma and team!”
Title: Elevated clonal hematopoiesis in 9/11 first responders has distinct age-related patterns and relies on IL1RAP for clonal expansion
Authors: Divij Verma, Rachel Zeig-Owens, David Goldfarb, Leah Kravets, Kith Pradhan, Bradley Rockwell, Srabani Sahu, Susheian Kelly, Orsi Giricz, Sakshi Jasra, Yiyu Zou, Colette Prophete, Lidiane Torres, Srinivas Aluri, Samarpana Chakraborty, Rajni Kumari, Shanisha Gordon-Mitchell, Jingli Wang, Alexander Silver, Taylor South, Sarah Olmstead, Charles Hall, Simone Sidoli, Ryan Bender, Ola Landgren, Lee Greenberger, Amittha Wickrema, Advaitha Madireddy, Aditi Shastri, Eric Pietras, Lindsay LaFave, Anna Nolan, Mitchell Cohen, Michael Savona, Ulrich Steidl, David Prezant, Amit Verma
Read the full article on Cancer Discovery.
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