Schools/Degrees
M.D., Medicine, University of Rochester, NY
Ph.D., Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester, NY
Training
Pediatric Residency, Department of Pediatrics, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
Clincial/Research Fellowships in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD
Certifications
American Board of Pediatrics
American Association of Pediatrics
American Society of Hematology
American Society of Clinical Oncology
Clinical Interests
Pediatric oncology - Hematologic malignancies, developmental hematopoiesis, blood and bone marrow transplantation (BMT), stem cell biology and therapeutics, immune system engineering
Research Summary
Dr. Zambidis is interested in the developmental biology of normal and malignant hematopoietic stem cells. Our approach to studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms of human hematopoiesis relies on the genetic manipulation and differentiation of both embryonic and adult pluripotent stem cells. Current translational projects exploit the use of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) derived from both fertilized and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD)-derived sources for the derivation, culture, and expansion of human HSPC. Our strategy for identifying early HSPC relies on the general hypothesis that a human hemangioblast (bipotential progenitor of HSPC and endothelium) stem cell gives rise to the entire human hematopoietic system and can be derived and expanded from differentiating hESC. We are currently probing the roles that the caudalizing homeodomain factor CDX4 and the bHLH transcription factor SCL/TAL1 play in orchestrating the initiation of human embryonic hematopoiesis by directing the formation of human hemangioblasts from hESC. hESC-derived blood progenitors are important not only for studies in human lympho-hematopoietic development and the understanding of the developmental origins of pediatric leukemia, but also possibly for clinical HSPC transplantation. Additional projects also focus on the role Notch signaling plays on the expansion and differentiation of early lymph-hematopoietic progenitors derived from hESC.
