Episode 116

Hematology Portraits: Prof Ivo Touw

Join us for an interview with Prof Ivo Touw, who has received the prestigious EHA David Grimwade Award for his contributions to the field of hematology research. Prof Touw and his research group focus on molecular signaling in leukemia predisposition syndromes, such as severe congenital neutropenia (SCN). They have described the dysfunction of the membrane receptor for the growth factor G-CSF and its role in SCN and malignant transformation to acute myeloid leukemia. In this interview prof.

Touw talks about his career path and choices that he has made along the way. He tells about his early fascination with the growth factors and how leukemia cells respond to them, which has driven his scientific career ever since. The simple questions such as “how can the growth factor in some cells only induce a proliferative response and in others both proliferation and differentiation?” or “why does one patient respond to G-SCF therapy and another does not?” triggered the discoveries of the complex underlying biological mechanisms.

If you want to hear about the stepwise discoveries of the roles of G-SCF mutants, RUNX gene and inflammatory stress and using novel technologies such as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) technology, CRISPR technology and computational biology, tune in to this episode with Prof Ivo Touw. He will also share his thoughts on the new avenues for thinking about therapy for SCN, such as repairing stem cells for autologous transplant or repurposing already available drugs.

Host: Isabel Olivera-Martinez, PhD, Medical Writer

Guest: Prof Ivo Touw