October 22, 2025
Total body irradiation—due to nuclear radiation exposure or cancer radiation treatment—wipes out hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow, severely depleting blood cells. While certain medications can help restore the blood system if given early, there is an urgent need for new treatments.
With a new 5-year U01 grant, “Mitigation of hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome (ARS) by inhibition of tyrosine kinase Fgr,” Robert Binder, professor of immunology, Amitava Mukherjee, research assistant professor of radiation oncology, and Joel Greenberger, professor of radiation oncology, will investigate whether targeting a signaling protein called Fgr could restore blood production, or hematopoiesis, after total body irradiation.
Previously, the researchers identified Fgr as a master regulator of inflammation in the bone marrow after total body irradiation and that treatment with a small molecule inhibitor of Fgr called TL02-59 reduced inflammation and improved survival in animal models. They will build on this research to investigate how inhibition of Fgr can rebuild the blood system with the goal of developing a novel treatment to repair damage after exposure to radiation.