Rachel Walsdorf
Program: Unspecified
Current advisor:
Undergraduate university: University of Notre Dame
Research summary
NUP98 rearranged acute myeloid leukemia (NUP98r AML) is a high-risk pediatric malignancy that requires development of innovative new therapies. An ongoing goal of the Magee lab has been to identify self-renewal mechanisms that sustain high-risk pediatric AML. Previous work in the lab identified the sphingosine 1-phosphate transporter, SPNS2, as a novel targetable vulnerability in NUP98r AML important for sustaining the malignant cells. During my rotation, my work focused on characterizing the effects of small molecule inhibition of SPNS2 and targeted mutagenesis of Spns1/2/3 homologs in NUP98r AML cells. I also evaluated the ability of SPNS2 inhibition to synergize with other AML-directed therapies to counteract chemotherapy resistance.
Graduate publications