Hemophilia B (Factor IX/F9)

Dr. Chau obtained her Bachelor of Science in Biomolecular Engineering from Santa Clara University in 2019 and her Ph.D. in Integrative Pathobiology from the University of California, Davis in 2024. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher at the Stanford School of Medicine, working under the mentorship of Dr. Glaivy Batsuli. Her research focuses on elucidating the innate immune response to factor IX (FIX) utilizing her expertise in bioinformatics to bridge gaps in the understanding of immune tolerance and reduce antigenicity in hemophilia B treatments.

Individuals with hemophilia B are susceptible to spontaneous and injury-induced bleeding events throughout their lives. Early diagnosis and initiation of factor IX (FIX) replacement therapy in individuals with a severe bleeding phenotype is critical for bleed prevention, managing bleeding episodes, and preventing the long-term occurrence of frequent bleeds. Roughly 3-10% of individuals with hemophilia B develop inhibitors that limit the hemostatic efficacy of FIX replacement and increases the risk of uncontrolled bleeding. In contrast to factor VIII (FVIII) inhibitor development in hemophilia A, individuals with hemophilia B and inhibitors have limited treatment options for inhibitor eradication due to the risk of hypersensitivity reactions, anaphylaxis, and nephrotic syndrome with FIX re-exposure. Despite extensive research into the immune response against FVIII, an in-depth understanding of mechanisms that define the immune response to FIX is lacking. Our research project aims to investigate the innate immune response pathway underlying the onset of FIX inhibitors. This project focuses on two aims: (1) defining the role of dendritic cell (DC) subsets in FIX inhibitor development and (2) identifying the cytokine signature, specifically IL-13, in this process. Expected outcomes of our study will contribute towards understanding FIX inhibitor development and potential therapeutic interventions.

Sara L. Schwartz is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. Her research portfolio examines experiences of isolation in diverse settings and communities such as public child welfare, social work academia and communities impacted by HIV/AIDS. In recent years, Dr. Schwartz has explored HIV/AIDS in the hemophilia community and the experiences of men and women aging with bleeding disorders. She serves on the Board of Directors of the National AIDS Memorial in San Francisco, applying her research skills to capture and preserve the histories of individuals and communities lost to the AIDS epidemic.

Dr. Laura Sommerville graduated cum laude from Messiah College and then obtained her MS and PhD degrees in cellular and molecular biology from Temple University. Her graduate work and doctoral dissertation produced several awards and publications in peer reviewed publications. She has been a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Maureane Hoffman at Duke University since July 2014. Dr. Sommerville's 2015 JGP research fellowship award project is on understanding the loss of perivascular tissue factor during angiogenesis in hemophilia.

Dr. Chappell's research project will develop a model for characterizing bleeding in hemophilia and particularly in joints. Using mouse models of hematoma formation and knee joint bleeding, Dr. Chappell will use 3D fluorescent imaging technology in "living" hemophilia B mice to better trace bleeding over time- from induction of a bleed to its resolution. This project will provide additional insights on the basic science underlying hemophilic bleeds, not to mention the optimal interventions and timing of treatment to potentially prevent damage caused by bleeds. Dr. Chappell earned her Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from UNC Chapel Hill in 2013. She will pursue her research under the mentorship of Dr. Dougald Monroe, Professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, UNC School of Medicine and the UNC McAllister Heart Institute.

Per Dr. Tenenbaum, the JGP provided him with the necessary framework to complete his Postdoctoral Fellowship at Duke University Medical Center and his first academic position at SUNY, where he is currently a Professor specializing in RNA Nanotechnology and Genomics. Although he has not remained in the field of hematology, his current research does intersect with many diseases, including those in the field of hematology (and specifically, hemophilia). The intersection is in relation to gene therapy technology that he is developing.

Dr. Xuejie Chen is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Darrel Stafford at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before joining Dr. Stafford’s lab, she received her Ph.D. degree in Cell Biology from Beijing Normal University, P. R. China. In her JGP Fellowship project, Dr. Chen aims to study the contributions of extravascular factor IX (FIX) to blood coagulation and to search for FIX variants that could efficiently displace the endogenous dysfunctional FIX in hemophilia B patients. To achieve this goal, Dr. Chen will study the binding between FIX and the subendothelial basement membranes, mainly type IV collagen, and use the site-directed random mutagenesis library to screen for tighter binding FIX molecules. In doing so, she hopes to identify a FIX variant that can be used in hemophilia B patients for better coagulation therapies.

Dr. Kari Lavik is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan in the laboratory of Dr. Jordan Shavit. She received a B.A. in biology from Case Western Reserve University, and her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from The University of Toledo. Her graduate work focused on the study of cancer motility and metastasis through which she became interested in using zebrafish as a model for human disease. In February of 2017, Dr. Lavik joined the Shavit Laboratory in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan to use zebrafish for the study of bleeding and clotting disorders. For her 2018 JGP fellowship project, she will model hemophilia in the zebrafish, looking for novel species-specific regulators of hemostasis. By delving deeper into the genetic mechanisms that underlie the intrinsic pathway in zebrafish, Dr. Lavik will look for novel gene interactions that can be therapeutically targeted in patients with hemophilia.

Dr. Esther Cooke received her Ph.D. from the Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine at the University of Leeds, U.K., where she studied the role of fibrinogen phosphorylation in thrombosis. Dr. Cooke is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Annette von Drygalski, at the University of California San Diego, and in collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Laurent Mosnier at the Scripps Research Institute. Dr. Cook's JGP Fellowship project will focus on pathological mechanisms associated with joint bleeding, re-bleeding, and the development of hemophilic arthropathy. Dr. Cooke will perform comprehensive gene expression analyses to explore key molecular markers and pathways that drive soft tissue inflammation and vascular changes in joints after bleeding. In this way, she hopes to identify new therapeutic targets and develop novel treatment strategies to down-regulate these processes, thereby reducing re-bleeding tendency and slowing the progression of hemophilic arthropathy.

Dr. Satish Nandakumar is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Vijay Sankaran at the Boston Children's Hospital. Previously, he did his graduate work at the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. In his JGP Fellowship project, Dr. Nandakumar aims to develop a novel gene therapy approach for hemophilia that involves activation of the endogenous factor VIII or IX genes within hematopoietic stem cells by taking advantage of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene activation system. This work has the potential to benefit patients with mild hemophilia mutations.

Dr. Tam E. Perry is an associate professor at Wayne State University School of Social Work. Her research addresses urban aging from a life course perspective, focusing on how underserved older adults navigate their social and built environments in times of instability and change. She conducts translational research projects that address older adults’ well-being in urban communities such as the Flint water crisis, and older adults’ experiences of gentrification in Detroit, particularly examining the relationship of older adults to their homes. She is also co-principal investigator of a project entitled, “Older Adults’ Experiences and Understandings of the Flint Water Crisis,” which focuses on the intersection between housing and health. This project received the Betty J. Cleckley Minority Issues Research Award from the Aging and Public Health Section of American Public Health Association for this research. She also serves as research chair and vice-chair of strategic planning of a multi-agency coalition, Senior Housing Preservation-Detroit. Lastly, she co-directs the Community Liaison and Recruitment Core of the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research (MCUAAAR).

Paul Monahan is Translational and Clinical Development Lead for Hematology Gene Therapy at Spark Therapeutics. Prior to 2015, Dr. Monahan was Professor of Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he spent more than 20 years as an Investigator in the UNC Gene Therapy Center and treating children with bleeding disorders as an Attending Physician in the Harold Roberts Hemophilia Diagnostic and Treatment Center. He served on several clinical medical and scientific foundations and committees including the Board of Directors of the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Society. For ten years he served on the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee of the National Hemophilia Foundation and as the Region IV Director for the US Hemophilia Treatment Center Network (CDC and MCHB). His basic science laboratory maintained a research focus on gene therapy for hemophilia as well as animal models for the study of hemophilic bone and joint disease, inhibitors in hemophilia B, and novel therapies from 1996 through 2016. In 2013 the National Hemophilia Foundation awarded Monahan the NHF Leadership in Research Award. Prior to joining Spark in Spring 2018, he performed preclinical research development and coordinated clinical trial initiation of hemophilia B and hemophilia A gene therapy trials in a collaborative partnership with Asklepios Biopharmaceuticals and as Medical Lead at Baxalta/Shire.