Dr. Juerg Schwaller
Juerg Schwaller, MD, collaborates with fellow Crazy 8 researchers in barcoding pediatric leukemia for therapeutic purposes. Dr. Schwaller is group leader at the Department of Biomedicine of the University Hospital Basel affiliated with the Children’s Hospital Beider Basel (UKBB). His research primarily aims to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying induction and maintenance of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). His current projects are focused on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of initiation and disease progression of rare but particular aggressive pediatric AML forms. His group has developed several mouse models that phenocopy many aspects of the human disease and allow to dissect ontogeny and cellular origin as well as the identification of targets for therapeutic interventions.
Despite significant improvements in the therapy of lymphoid acute leukemia (ALL), there are particular forms of pediatric AML of which we poorly know the biology, and that remain a therapeutic challenge. Understanding ontogeny, the cellular origin and mechanisms of initiation, progression and maintenance of the disease will unravel targets for personalized therapeutic strategies.
Dr. Juerg Schwaller