Emma De Pater

Dr. Emma De Pater is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology at Erasmus MC, Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her research focuses on understanding leukemia predisposition syndromes, particularly the role of GATA2 mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Using zebrafish, mouse, and human models, her work explores how germline mutations disrupt hematopoiesis and contribute to malignant transformation.

She holds a PhD in Growth of the Zebrafish Heart from Utrecht University (2010) and a Master's in Biology from Leiden University (2005). Her research has uncovered critical roles for GATA2 in hematopoietic stem cell proliferation and embryonic hematopoiesis, with a current focus on GATA2's DNA/protein binding changes in patient-specific mutations.

Her awards include fellowships for studies on GATA2 haploinsufficiency (2022), GATA2 binding partners (2021), and leukemia predisposition mechanisms (2016). She has supervised 3 research projects and contributed to over 27 peer-reviewed publications, including high-impact findings on GATA2's role in hematopoietic lineage modulation and zebrafish disease modeling.

Her lab integrates multi-species models to investigate how embryonic hematopoietic defects drive leukemia, emphasizing translational approaches to combat AML.