Research Projects

Current research in the AlagsLab focuses on understanding the mechanisms that regulate hematopoiesis and hematopoietic function in cardiometabolic diseases and associated clinical phenotypes. Throughout life, a pool of self-renewing hematopoietic stem cells continuously replenishes all mature blood and immune cells via a differentiation process called hematopoiesis. These mature blood and immune cells carry out oxygen transport, oxygen transport, toxin clearance and immune response across virtually every organ in the body. Over 100 billion blood and immune cells are produced on a daily basis to maintain homeostasis and health. Abnormal function of HSCs or hematopoiesis and hematopoietic function could thus result in disease in any organ. We are particularly interested in defining how inherited and acquired genetic variation impact hematopoiesis and hematopoietic function in type 1 diabetes (T1D) and its associated clinical sequelae, such as cardiovascular and hematologic disease and cognitive dysfunction. We employ a combination of human statistical genetics, bioinformatics and computational biology, and molecular and functional in vitro assays and animal models in our studies.