Federal Grant Award Summary

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Inc. received a $445,000 Project Grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837), awarded on March 10, 2026, with a completion date of December 31, 2032. The award funds research to elucidate the origins and drivers of clonal dynamics in hematopoiesis—the process by which hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in bone marrow replenish blood cell populations. The research addresses a fundamental gap in understanding why certain HSC clones expand over time, particularly in aging healthy individuals where approximately 80% of clonal expansions lack attributable known genetic drivers.

The project will develop scalable methodologies to reconstruct clonal history and analyze HSC heterogeneity and clonal dynamics in both human and murine models. Current approaches relying on single-cell whole-genome sequencing are invasive, time-consuming, and costly; this research aims to overcome these limitations to better understand both cell-intrinsic factors governing HSC development and extrinsic factors such as niche signaling and systemic inflammation that may drive clonal expansion. The outcomes will advance fundamental knowledge of hematopoiesis relevant to understanding age-related clonal dominance and the early molecular events preceding myeloproliferative neoplasm development.