Waihay Wong, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pathology
Research Program
- Translational Research in Malignancy (TRIM)
Cancer-Focused Research
My research focuses on how gene alterations affect hematopoiesis and the development of hematologic disease. My laboratory uses genetic mouse models, cell biology tools and multi-omics approaches to study how mutations in common leukemia-causing genes alter hematopoietic stem cell behavior and converge on key inflammatory pathways that impact the development of hematologic malignancy as well as immune function in health and disease. Specifically, my lab is interested in causal mechanisms linking clonal hematopoietic mutations to innate immune signaling and downstream activation. We have recently identified a significant risk association between clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis of the liver. Ongoing investigations aim to dissect specific inflammatory responses in myeloid derived immune cells, including potential site-specific interactions between the liver microenvironment and hematopoietic clones, and to understand how altered inflammatory pathways result in expansion of hematopoietic clones in the context of mutant hematopoietic stem cell activity.