A new study from the lab of Case CCC Immune Oncology Program member Amar Desai, PhD, was recently published in Stem Cells. In collaboration with Sanford Markowitz, MD, PhD, Desai's team used a small-molecule inhibitor of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), developed in the Markowitz lab, to enhance bone marrow regeneration in aged hematopoietic stem cells. Blocking 15-PGDH promoted stem cell recovery and improved the bone marrow microenvironment following injury.
These findings build on the team’s prior development of 15-PGDH inhibitors to promote tissue stem cell recovery following injury and suggest broader implications for their use to prevent age-associated decline in tissue function, particularly in patients with hematologic disorders who often experience impaired or delayed recovery after chemotherapy or transplant.