Petter Woll group - Leukemic stem cells
The group studies cellular and molecular mechanisms promoting establishment and propagation of leukemic stem cells. We wish to understand the cellular and molecular targets for highly recurrent mutations in hematologic malignancies, in order to prevent leukemia and treat the patient.
About our research
The Petter Woll lab is located at the Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine (HERM) in Neo, KI Campus Flemingsberg.
The major focus of our research program is towards the development and characterization of clinically relevant genetic mouse models to understand the cellular and molecular targets for recurrent leukemic mutations, and how these promote leukemic stem cell clonal advantage. To complement studies in mice, we have access to state-of-the-art patient material (viably frozen bone marrow and peripheral blood) that allows isolation and characterization of distinct hematopoietic stem and progenitor compartments. In addition, the immunological targeting of leukemic propagating cells is explored.
Because of their short half-life, millions of mature blood cells of multiple lineages are continuously replenished from a rare population of uncommitted hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) which possess the unique ability to self-renew and to develop towards all blood cell lineages. Understanding the precise mechanisms involved in the regulation of this process is of considerable relevance for human health and disease, as these regulatory stages frequently are hijacked in hematologic malignancies.
Advances in next-generation sequencing has revealed highly recurrent mutations in hematologic malignancies. However, at what cellular stage and the molecular impact of these mutations promoting leukemic stem cell expansion, as well as perturbed hematopoietic differentiation, remains poorly understood.
Group leader
Petter received his PhD degree from the University of Minnesota in 2008, after working in the lab of Dan Kaufman focused on modelling human blood development from embryonic stem cells. He continued to study cancer stem cells in patient with myelodysplastic syndromes during his postdoc at the University of Oxford in Sten Eirik Jacobsen’s lab. Petter started as Assistant Professor at Karolinska Institutet in 2015.
In his spare time, Petter enjoys sports, including cycling, squash and skiing, and going to concerts. His all-time top 5 favourite artists are (in no particular order): Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, Åge Aleksandersen, The National and Nick Cave.
Group members
Madeleine Lehander
PhD studentMadeleine Lehander, or Madde as she is usually being called, received her master degree in Biomedicine at Karolinska Institutet in 2020, where she joined the Woll group for her master thesis. She was then working on a project regarding the impact of cell cycle of hematopoietic stem cells in normal and malignant hematopoiesis.
After graduating, she stayed in the Woll group as a PhD student where she is now exploring potential elimination of hematopoietic stem cells with TCR-engineered T cells to determine the dependency of HSCs in normal and malignant hematopoiesis.
Madde grew up spending all her spare time on the football field but now she also enjoys photography, playing golf and she spends as much time as possible with family and friends. If she is allowed to control the music during dinner parties, it's non-stop Swedish music with Thomas Stenström, Laleh and Mares streaming from the speakers.
Axel Winroth received his medical degree in January 2020 and joined the Woll lab shortly after.
His Phd project aims to investigate transcriptional states associated with lineage bias in hematopoietic stem cell differentiation using single cell RNA sequencing. In addition to stem cell biology he is interested in programming and mathematics and hopes to understand bioinformatics.
When not in the lab Axel enjoys drinking coffee and going for walks.
Collaborators
Karolinska Institutet
- Sten Eirik W. Jacobsen, Department of Medicine, Huddinge
- Eva Hellström Lindberg, Department of Medicine, Huddinge
- Magnus Tobiasson, Department of Medicine, Huddinge
- Sten Linnarsson, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics
- Rickard Sandberg, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology
- Seishi Ogawa, Department of Pathology and Tumor Biology, Kyoto University and Karolinska Institutet
International collaborations
- Johanna Olweus, Department of Cancer Immunology, Oslo University Hospital
- Adam Mead, MRC Molecular Hematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford
Research support
- Cancerfonden
- Radiumhemmets Forsknings Fonder
Selected publications
2020-2022
Aged healthy mice acquire clonal hematopoiesis mutations.
Chin DWL, Yoshizato T, Culleton SV, Grasso F, Barbachowska M, Ogawa S, Jacobsen SEJW#, Woll PS#. Blood, 2022, 139:629-634. #Equal contribution.
T cells targeted to TdT kill leukemic lymphoblasts while sparing normal lymphocytes.
Ali M, Giannakopoulou E, Li Y, Lehander M, Virding Culleton S, Yang W, Knetter C, Odabasi MC, Bollineni RC, Yang X, Foldvari Z, Böschen ML, Taraldsrud E, Strønen E, Toebes M, Hillen A, Mazzi S, de Ru AH, Janssen GMC, Kolstad A, Tjønnfjord GE, Lie BA, Griffioen M, Lehmann S, Osnes LT, Buechner J, Garcia KC, Schumacher TN, van Veelen PA, Leisegang M, Jacobsen SEW, Woll P, Olweus J. Nature Biotechnology, 2022, 40:488-498.
Targeting stem cells in myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia.
Woll PS, Yoshizato T, Hellström-Lindberg E, Fioretos T, Ebert BL, Jacobsen SEW. Journal of Internal Medicine, 2022, 292:262-277.
The extent of residual WT hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells is associated with the degree of anemia in SF3B1-mutated MDS-RS patients.
Hofman IJ, Mortera-Blanco T, Moura PL, Vestlund J, Larsson SV, Elvarsdottir EM, Walldin G, Tobiasson M, Sander B, Dimitriou M, Jacobsen SEW, Woll PS, Jädersten M, Hellström-Lindberg E. Blood Advances. 2022, 6:4705-4709.
FOXO Dictates Initiation of B Cell Development and Myeloid Restriction in Common Lymphoid Progenitors.
Peña-Pérez L, Kharazi S, Frengen N, Krstic A, Bouderlique T, Hauenstein J, He M, Somuncular E, Li Wang X, Dahlberg C, Gustafsson C, Johansson AS, Walfridsson J, Kadri N, Woll P, Kierczak M, Qian H, Westerberg L, Luc S, Månsson R. Frontiers in Immunology. 2022;13:880668.
Stem cell concepts in myelodysplastic syndromes: lessons and challenges.
Woll PS, Jacobsen SEW
J Intern Med 2021 05;289(5):650-661
A three-dimensional in vitro model of erythropoiesis recapitulates erythroid failure in myelodysplastic syndromes.
Elvarsdóttir EM, Mortera-Blanco T, Dimitriou M, Bouderlique T, Jansson M, Hofman IJF, Conte S, Karimi M, Sander B, Douagi I, Woll PS, Hellström-Lindberg E
Leukemia 2020 01;34(1):271-282
2018-2019
The concept of leukaemic stem cells in acute myeloid leukaemia 25 years on: hitting a moving target.
Hokland P, Woll PS, Hansen MC, Bill M
Br J Haematol 2019 10;187(2):144-156
Hierarchically related lineage-restricted fates of multipotent haematopoietic stem cells.
Carrelha J, Meng Y, Kettyle LM, Luis TC, Norfo R, Alcolea V, Boukarabila H, Grasso F, Gambardella A, Grover A, Högstrand K, Lord AM, Sanjuan-Pla A, Woll PS, Nerlov C, Jacobsen SEW
Nature 2018 02;554(7690):106-111
Canonical Notch signaling is dispensable for adult steady-state and stress myelo-erythropoiesis.
Duarte S, Woll PS, Buza-Vidas N, Chin DWL, Boukarabila H, Luís TC, Stenson L, Bouriez-Jones T, Ferry H, Mead AJ, Atkinson D, Jin S, Clark SA, Wu B, Repapi E, Gray N, Taylor S, Mutvei AP, Tsoi YL, Nerlov C, Lendahl U, Jacobsen SEW
Blood 2018 04;131(15):1712-1719
2010-2014
Myelodysplastic syndromes are propagated by rare and distinct human cancer stem cells in vivo.
Woll PS, Kjällquist U, Chowdhury O, Doolittle H, Wedge DC, Thongjuea S, Erlandsson R, Ngara M, Anderson K, Deng Q, Mead AJ, Stenson L, Giustacchini A, Duarte S, Giannoulatou E, Taylor S, Karimi M, Scharenberg C, Mortera-Blanco T, Macaulay IC, Clark SA, Dybedal I, Josefsen D, Fenaux P, Hokland P, Holm MS, Cazzola M, Malcovati L, Tauro S, Bowen D, Boultwood J, Pellagatti A, Pimanda JE, Unnikrishnan A, Vyas P, Göhring G, Schlegelberger B, Tobiasson M, Kvalheim G, Constantinescu SN, Nerlov C, Nilsson L, Campbell PJ, Sandberg R, Papaemmanuil E, Hellström-Lindberg E, Linnarsson S, Jacobsen SE
Cancer Cell 2014 Jun;25(6):794-808
Platelet-biased stem cells reside at the apex of the haematopoietic stem-cell hierarchy.
Sanjuan-Pla A, Macaulay IC, Jensen CT, Woll PS, Luis TC, Mead A, Moore S, Carella C, Matsuoka S, Bouriez Jones T, Chowdhury O, Stenson L, Lutteropp M, Green JC, Facchini R, Boukarabila H, Grover A, Gambardella A, Thongjuea S, Carrelha J, Tarrant P, Atkinson D, Clark SA, Nerlov C, Jacobsen SE
Nature 2013 Oct;502(7470):232-6
Persistent malignant stem cells in del(5q) myelodysplasia in remission.
Tehranchi R, Woll PS, Anderson K, Buza-Vidas N, Mizukami T, Mead AJ, Astrand-Grundström I, Strömbeck B, Horvat A, Ferry H, Dhanda RS, Hast R, Rydén T, Vyas P, Göhring G, Schlegelberger B, Johansson B, Hellström-Lindberg E, List A, Nilsson L, Jacobsen SE
N Engl J Med 2010 Sep;363(11):1025-37 #Equal contribution