19 November 2018
Amsterdam, NL – In no particular order, we would like to introduce you to the people behind our new open access publication.
Associate Professor Louise Purton, PhD joins the StemJournal Editorial Board from St Vincent’s Insitute (SVI) in Melbourne, Australia where she is an SVI Associate Director and the Head of the Stem Cell Regulation Unit. The unit investigates blood cell-forming stem cells and the regulation of haematopoietic diseases, including leukaemia. Louise explains, “My research is focused on understanding how hematopoietic stem cells are regulated, both intrinsically and extrinsically via cells of the bone marrow microenvironment, including mesenchymal stem cells. My overall goal is to translate my research into the clinic to improve patient outcomes.”
After gaining her PhD from The University of Melbourne, Louise moved to the USA and undertook her post-doctoral studies at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. During this time she discovered that the vitamin A derivative, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), has different effects in haematopoiesis and that ATRA enhances haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal. Louise returned to Australia at the end of 2000 to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, focusing on the distinct effects of the different retinoic acid receptors (RARs) in haematopoiesis. She identified that RARγ is a key regulator of HSC self-renewal and that loss of RARγ has profound effects on haematopoiesis, due to both intrinsic and extrinsic effects. She continued this research while she was a visiting scientist in Professor David Scadden’s laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA (2004–2007). Her senior author research identified novel roles for cells of the bone marrow microenvironment in regulating myeloproliferative-like disorders, pioneering studies that were published in Cell in 2007.
Louise moved back to Australia and established SVI’s Stem Cell Regulation Unit in 2008. Whilst continuing her research on how haematopoiesis is regulated, Louise also has a passion for translational research and to date her senior author research has resulted in three clinical trials. She is internationally recognised for her research and is proactive in supporting both women in research and the career development of younger researchers. Her research has been funded by numerous bodies including the Leukaemia Foundation, Cancer Council Victoria, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, NIH and the NHMRC.
Now, we are pleased to welcome Louise as she join the Editorial Board. She comments, “I am honored to be an inaugural Associate Editor of StemJournal and I am looking forward to it becoming a valuable journal for researchers of different types of stem cells.”
