Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Awarded $8.2 Million NIH Grant to Investigate the Origins of Blood-Forming Stem Cells
Researchers seek to uncover molecular mechanisms that guide blood formation, potentially laying the groundwork to develop new treatments for cancers and blood diseases
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have been awarded an $8.2 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to investigate the earliest developmental origins of the hematopoietic system—the network of organs and tissues responsible for producing blood cells. This work aims to uncover the signals and genetic programs that govern blood formation.
By advancing the understanding of how blood-forming stem cells arise, the research will lay the foundation for transformative breakthroughs in regenerative medicine, such as the development of innovative methods using engineered immune cells for therapies to treat cancers and blood diseases.
This prestigious grant recognizes emerging and outstanding investigators, and will be awarded to the Mount Sinai team over seven years. The principal investigator is Christopher M. Sturgeon, PhD, Associate Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and Associate Director of the Center for Advancement of Blood Cancer Therapies at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Sturgeon’s prior work has examined how blood systems form during development of the human embryo.
“We aim to understand the developmental origins and regulation of how blood-forming stem cells form in the early mammalian embryo, and from human pluripotent stem cells, for regenerative medicine applications,” said Dr. Sturgeon. “We take a novel approach to this through our foundational observations that blood development occurs much earlier than previously appreciated, during an extremely early stage of embryogenesis called gastrulation.”
Insights from the Sturgeon laboratory will help inform our understanding of the generation of blood-forming stem cells from human pluripotent stem cells, for use in human disease modeling and development of novel therapies for hematological disorders like sickle cell disease and leukemia.
“We are delighted that Dr. Sturgeon has received this recognition from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. This grant underscores the cutting-edge biomedical research taking place at Mount Sinai and highlights Dr. Sturgeon’s leadership in advancing the future of blood and immune system therapies,” said Sarah E. Millar, PhD, Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs, and Chair of the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine.
About the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is internationally renowned for its outstanding research, educational, and clinical care programs. It is the sole academic partner for the seven member hospitals* of the Mount Sinai Health System, one of the largest academic health systems in the United States, providing care to New York City’s large and diverse patient population.
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai offers highly competitive MD, PhD, MD-PhD, and master’s degree programs, with enrollment of more than 1,200 students. It has the largest graduate medical education program in the country, with more than 2,700 clinical residents and fellows training throughout the Health System. Its Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers 13 degree-granting programs, conducts innovative basic and translational research, and trains more than 560 postdoctoral research fellows.
Ranked 11th nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is among the 99th percentile in research dollars per investigator according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. More than 4,500 scientists, educators, and clinicians work within and across dozens of academic departments and multidisciplinary institutes with an emphasis on translational research and therapeutics. Through Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP), the Health System facilitates the real-world application and commercialization of medical breakthroughs made at Mount Sinai.
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* Mount Sinai Health System member hospitals: The Mount Sinai Hospital; Mount Sinai Brooklyn; Mount Sinai Morningside; Mount Sinai Queens; Mount Sinai South Nassau; Mount Sinai West; and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 10 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2025-2026.
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