معرفی
Dr. Derek Janssens is an Assistant Professor in Van Andel Institute's Department of Epigenetics, leading the Janssens Laboratory. His research focuses on epigenetic mechanisms underlying blood development and therapeutic resistance in leukemias, particularly KMT2A/MLL1-rearranged cancers. He develops cutting-edge technologies like sciCUT&Tag for single-cell chromatin profiling, enabling high-resolution analysis of epigenetic landscapes.
Education & Training:
- B.S. in Biomedical Sciences, Grand Valley State University
- Ph.D. in Cellular & Molecular Biology, University of Michigan (Mentor: Dr. Cheng-Yu Lee)
- Postdoctoral Fellowship at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (Mentor: Dr. Steve Henikoff), where he co-developed CUT&RUN and CUT&Tag methods
Research Interests: Integrates epigenomics and AI to map blood development trajectories and identify therapeutic vulnerabilities in leukemia. Key areas include:
- Epigenetic regulation of hematopoiesis
- Chromatin dynamics in cancer progression
- Single-cell profiling of therapeutic resistance
- Translation of epigenetic insights into clinical diagnostics
Publications Overview: Over 30 peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals like Nature Communications, Nature Genetics, and Cancer Discovery. Recent work emphasizes leukemia lineage plasticity, biomarker discovery, and scalable chromatin profiling tools.
Awards & Honors:
- Hartwell Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
- NCI K22 Transition to Independence Award
- Forbeck Scholars Award
Collaborations & Impact: Works with physician-scientists to translate lab findings into clinical trials. Co-leads the VAI-SU2C Epigenetics Dream Team, advancing combination therapies for leukemia. His lab's epigenetic roadmap of blood development provides a framework for understanding leukemia pathogenesis and resistance mechanisms.
