[HP Roster]

The Hematopoiesis [HP] Study Section reviews applications involving both basic and applied aspects of normal and abnormal hematopoiesis, including stem cell biology, hematopoietic growth factors and their receptors, leukemias and leukemogenesis, bone marrow failure syndromes, myeloproliferative syndromes, stem cell transplantation, and hematopoietic cell gene therapy.

Specific areas covered by HP:

• Stem cell biology, hematopoietic growth factors and their receptors.
• Erythropoiesis, myelopoiesis and thrombopoiesis.
• Leukemias and leukemogenesis, myelodysplasias, myeloproliferative syndromes and bone marrow failure syndromes, including PNH and Fanconi amenia.
• Experimental bone marrow and blood stem cell transplantation. Graft versus host disease and graft rejection.
• Hematopoietic cell gene therapy.

HP has the following shared interests within the HEME IRG:

• With the Erythrocyte and Leukocyte Biology [ELB] study section: The biology of mature myeloid and erythroid cells should be reviewed in ELB. Erythropoiesis and myelopoiesis are appropriate for HP.
  
  
• The Hemostasis and Thrombosis [HT] study section should review megakaryocytopoiesis and megakaryocyte differentiation applications. HT should review applications concerned mainly with the final stages of platelet formation and platelet function.

HP has the following shared interests outside the HEME IRG:

• With the Biology of Development and Aging [BDA] IRG: Shared interest exists for studies of apoptosis and cell cycle in blood elements. Assignment to HP is appropriate when the primary focus is on hematopoiesis, especially when related to hematologic disorders. The BDA IRG may be appropriate for studies that use blood elements as a source material to study general developmental processes.
  
  
• With the Bioengineering Sciences and Technologies [BST] IRG: Applications focused on specific hematological stem cell or gene transfer therapies are relevant to HP. Grant applications focused on developing stem cell and gene transfer technologies to introduce genes and drugs in a general context are relevant to the BST IRG.
  
  
• With the Immunology [IMM] IRG: Normal hematopoiesis is an area of shared interest. All aspects of hematopoiesis are appropriate for HP. The IMM IRG may also be considered when the focus is on myelopoiesis or lymphopoiesis.
  
  
• With the Immunology [IMM] and Oncological Sciences [ONC] IRGs: Bone marrow transplantation is an area of shared interest with the IMM and ONC IRGs. Bone marrow transplantation studies, particularly those using stem cells or immune deficient animals, may be appropriate for HP. When the primary focus of the study is on immunological aspects of graft versus host disease then the assignment could be to the IMM IRG. Studies on bone marrow transplantation as they relate to leukemia or other tumors are appropriate for the ONC IRG.
  
  
• With the Oncological Sciences [ONC] IRG: The pathogenesis of the leukemias and lymphomas is an area of shared interest. HP is the appropriate review group for studies of the molecular pathogenesis of hematologic malignancies. Studies of leukemia and lymphoma diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, as well as treatment outcomes and complications are best reviewed in the ONC IRG. Translational studies and early phase clinical trials of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation specifically for the treatment of malignant diseases, or the use of these approaches to modulate tumor immunity, should also be reviewed by the ONC IRG.
  
  
• Stem Cells: Shared interest may exist with many IRGs concerning common stem cell precursors. Assignment of applications on the transdifferentiation of cells between the blood and other cell types should be resolved in the direction of the final phenotype.  For example, if the final phenotype of the differentiated tissue is neural or vascular smooth muscle cells it may be assigned to the appropriate organ system IRG.  If the final phenotype of the differentiated tissue is a blood cell then assignment to HP may be appropriate.  Studies on undifferentiated stem cells may be assigned to the BDA IRG.   The BDA IRG could also be considered for clustering the review of studies on human embryonic stem cells.