Méndez-Ferrer Group

Simon Mendez-Ferrer

Professor Simón Méndez-Ferrer

Blood stem cell niches

Email: sm2116@cam.ac.uk     |     Departmental Affiliation: Haematology

Research

Plain English: The Méndez-Ferrer Group's research focuses on the regulation of the environment (‘niche’) in which the blood stem cells reside both in health and disease. Blood stem cells are located in specialised niches which allow them to function according to the organism's requirements. They study the mechanisms of how the stem cell niche fulfils these complex functions. Through this, they aim to understand how the disruption of these mechanisms contributes to blood disorders.

Research Focus: The Méndez-Ferrer laboratory research focuses on the regulation of the haematopoietic stem-cell niche in health and disease.  Blood stem cells reside in specialised niches which allows them to self-renew, proliferate, differentiate and migrate according to the organism’s requirements.

The group studies multisystem regulatory mechanisms by which the haematopoietic stem cell niche fulfils these complex functions and how the deregulation of these mechanisms contributes to haematological disorders. A connection was established between the bone marrow, the brain and other systemic signals, which regulate the behaviour of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Additionally, the group has demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are very important in supporting and regulating HSCs. This is also the case for malignant HSCs that can cause myeloproliferative disorders, such as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

The group found that malignant HSCs damage their niche to drive disease progression, prompting for strategies targeting the niche, which have been tested in multicentre clinical Phase-II studies. Current group’s efforts focus on the regulation of the HSC niches to improve HSC transplantation procedures and the treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasias.

microscopy image of Bone marrow niche heterogeneity

Main features of anatomically-defined haematopoietic stem cell niches in the mouse bone marrow.

Méndez-Ferrer group photo

Key Publications