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St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Home
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St. Jude Family of Websites
Explore our cutting edge research, world-class patient care, career opportunities and more.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Home
- Fundraising
About the Department
The Department of Hematology is committed to performing innovative research and providing exceptional clinical care for children with catastrophic non-malignant blood diseases. Separate Experimental and Clinical Divisions investigate biomedical questions from two distinct orientations. Experimental Hematology faculty use tools of cell biology, developmental biology and genetics to understand the mechanisms of normal blood formation (hematopoiesis) and how these go awry in pediatric blood disorders. Clinical Hematology faculty care for patients and perform patient-oriented research, including interventional clinical trials to evaluate new therapies. The discoveries driven by our scientists and clinicians will increase our knowledge of blood diseases and improve the lives of our patients. Thus, a major goal is to transform laboratory discoveries into innovative therapies, in alignment with the mission of St. Jude.
Electron Microscopy: Sickle Cells
Our translational researchers are particularly interested sickle cell disease, bone marrow failure and pediatric myelodysplastic syndrome. At St. Jude, we are developing and improving new technologies for genetic manipulation, including genome editing and lentiviral gene therapy vectors to understand and treat these diseases. We are also investigating how bone marrow failure syndromes frequently progress to cancer by using state of the art sequencing and -omics approaches to uncover molecular clues. We leverage institutional technologies and build new tools to map long-term outcomes in our patients. To extend the scope of our accomplishments, Department of Hematology faculty and staff leverage St. Jude technologies by utilizing expert institutional core facilities and engaging in productive, long-term collaborations with faculty in numerous other Departments throughout St. Jude.
Experimental
Hematology
Division
About the Division
Director: John Crispino, PhD, MBA
The Division of Experimental Hematology performs cutting edge laboratory research on normal and pathological blood development. We plan to expand our footprint in basic hematopoiesis and stem cell biology by recruiting new faculty investigators. Our departmental pluripotent stem cell core is leveraging cutting edge technology to enhance our understanding of hematopoietic stem cell biology and improve bone marrow transplantation. We also plan to expand our efforts in transcriptional regulation of hematopoiesis and sickle cell anemia-related research with a focus on developing curative therapies through genetic manipulation of patient hematopoietic stem cells. Another major initiative is to understand the malignant progression of benign blood disorders and identify points of vulnerability for therapeutic intervention.
Resources
- Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) Core
- Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting Facility
- PARADIGM: Partnership to Advance the Development of Individualized Genomic Medicines
Research programs
Clinical Hematology Division
About the Division
Director: Cliff Takemoto, MD
The Division of Clinical Hematology conducts clinical research and provides comprehensive treatment and care for children and adolescents with non-malignant hematological disorders. Key areas of focus include sickle cell disease, bleeding disorders, thrombosis, transfusional iron overload, bone marrow failure, and a variety of rare pediatric blood disorders. Ongoing clinical trials include gene therapy for sickle cell disease and hemophilia, new drug testing for sickle cell disease, the use of mobile-health to improve patient heath literacy and adherence to clinical care guidelines, and a large cohort study to assess longitudinal outcomes of SCD.
Clinical Faculty
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Nidhi Bhatt, MD
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Jane Hankins, MD, MS
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Rohith Jesudas, MD
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Alexis Leonard, MD
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Yogindra Persaud, MD
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Parul Rai, MD
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Ulrike Reiss, MD
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Cliff Takemoto, MD
Physician
Scientist
Investigator
Program
Instructors
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Senthil Bhoopalan, MBBS, PhD, FAAP
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Georgios E. Christakopoulos, MD
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Richa Sharma, MD
Leadership
Mitchell J. Weiss, MD, PhD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Chair, Department of Hematology
Arthur Nienhuis Endowed Chair in Hematology
Comprehensive Cancer Center
John D. Crispino, PhD, MBA
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Director, Division of Experimental Hematology
The Wall Street Committee Endowed Chair
Hematology Department
Comprehensive Cancer Center
Clifford Takemoto, MD
Member, St. Jude Faculty
Director, Clinical Hematology
Lemuel Diggs Endowed Chair in Sickle Cell Disease
2022 Summer Rooftop Party
Contact us
Mitchell J. Weiss, MD, PhD
Hematology MS355
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Memphis, TN, 38105-3678 USA GET DIRECTIONS