Lucio Castilla

Lucio Castilla is a Professor at UMass Chan Medical School, holding multiple positions across the T.H. Chan School of Medicine and Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. His primary appointment is in the Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, with additional affiliations in the Program in Molecular Medicine and several graduate programs including Cancer Biology and the MD/PhD Program.

Dr. Castilla received his B.S. from the University of Buenos Aires in 1988 and his Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Michigan in 1995. He completed his postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health from 1995 to 2000 before joining UMass Medical School as an Assistant Professor in 2000.

Dr. Castilla's research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of leukemia development, particularly the role of core-binding factor (CBF) in hematopoietic stem cells and leukemogenesis. His laboratory uses conditional knock-in and knock-out mouse models to study how genetic alterations in CBF subunits (RUNX1 or CBFβ) lead to acute myeloid leukemia. The lab also investigates collaborating genes that work with Cbfb-MYH11 in leukemogenesis and characterizes leukemia-initiating cells to identify potential therapeutic targets.

Analysis of Dr. Castilla's recent publications reveals a strong focus on inv(16) acute myeloid leukemia, with particular attention to the CBFβ-SMMHC fusion protein. His research spans molecular mechanisms, mouse models, and translational approaches to target leukemia-initiating cells. Recent work has expanded into familial platelet disorders associated with RUNX1 mutations and the inflammatory microenvironment's role in hematologic malignancies.

Dr. Castilla has received numerous prestigious awards throughout his career:

• Special Fellow Award from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (1999)
• AACR-Sidney Kimmel Symposium for Cancer Research Scholar Award (2002)
• Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Scholar (2007-2012)
• UMASS-Medical School Dean's Award for Outstanding Faculty Contribution to Graduate Education (2011)
• Fellow in Medical Sciences of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2021)

As a dedicated educator, Dr. Castilla has mentored numerous graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. His laboratory actively participates in the UMass Medical School's graduate programs, offering rotation projects focused on hematopoietic stem cell function, leukemia initiation mechanisms, and translational research approaches. The lab has secured significant research funding to support its investigations into leukemia mechanisms and targeted therapies.

The Castilla Laboratory maintains an active research team including research specialists, postdoctoral associates, and graduate students. The lab has developed important mouse models for studying inv(16) AML and RUNX1-related disorders, contributing significantly to the understanding of leukemia-initiating cells and potential therapeutic approaches targeting CBFβ-SMMHC interactions.