Serine Avagyan, MD, PhD

Title(s)Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
SchoolSchool of Medicine
Address35 Medical Center Way, #1017
San Francisco CA 94143
ORCID ORCID Icon0000-0001-9522-6237 Additional info
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    Collapse Biography 
    Collapse Education and Training
    Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York CityPhD2009Hematopoietic stem cell biology
    Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York CityMD2011
    Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian at Columbia University Medical Center, New York CityPediatric internship and residency06/2014Pediatrics
    Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Hospital Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, BostonPediatric Hematology-Oncology fellowship06/2017Pediatric hematology-oncology-stem cell transplantation
    Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Hospital Cancer and Blood Disorders Center , Boston12/2022Instructor in Pediatric Oncology
    Collapse Awards and Honors
    Burrough Wellcome Foundation2023  - 2027Career Awards for Medical Scientists
    Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation and RUNX1 Research Program2021  - 2024Early Career Investigator Award
    Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation2021  - 2025CRAZY8 award (co-PI)
    Edward P. Evans Foundation2017  - 2020Young Investigator Award, EvansMDS
    Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation2017  - 2021Young Investigator Award
    American Society of Hematology2020Abstract Achievement Award
    Boston Children's Hospital2021Boston Combined Residency Program Faculty Teaching Honor Roll
    National Institutes of Health2019Rising Star Lecture Series Lecturer
    Boston Children's Hospital2016  - 2018Pedals for Pediatrics Research Grant
    Dana-Farber Cancer Institute2015  - 2017David Abraham Fellowship
    Boston Children's Hospital2015  - 2017Potter Fellowship
    Boston Children's Hospital2014Farley Fund Fellowship Award
    Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai2011Bela Schick Pediatric Society Prize

    Collapse Overview 
    Collapse Overview
    The goal of the lab is to understand how development of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), their clonal composition and competition, and their progeny affect initiation of clonal blood disorders. Clonal blood disorders, including malignant diseases such as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia, are states of significant disturbance of the balanced clonal output. Focusing on the pathogenesis of pediatric and young adult MDS which are often associated with germline predisposition conditions, our research seeks to identify pathways responsible for establishing early aberrant clonal states and promoting transformation to malignancy. By using techniques of cellular barcoding to gain insight about clone-specific biology in a zebrafish model and primary human cells, our goal is to identify top vulnerabilities in clonal disorders to augment disease-directed therapy and prevent relapse of disease after stem cell transplantation, or perhaps one day prevent the development of MDS in high-risk patients. Such therapies could potentially be broadly applicable in the field of leukemogenesis beyond germline predisposition syndromes.

    Collapse Research 
    Collapse Research Activities and Funding
    Hematopoietic stem cell clonal diversity in GATA2 deficiency associated blood disorders
    Burroughs Wellcome Foundation Career Award for Medical ScientistsJan 1, 2023 - Aug 31, 2027
    Role: Principle investigator
    Description: The goal of this study is to elucidate mechanisms of clonal disorders in GATA2 deficiency
    Role of PHF6 Mutations in Germline RUNX1 Deficiency Associated Hematopoietic Disorders
    Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation / RUNX1 Research Program Early Career Investigator AwardJul 1, 2021 - Jun 30, 2024
    Role: Principle investigator
    Description: The goal of this study is to understand the interaction of PHF6 and RUNX1 in leukemogenesis in RUNX1-FPD.
    Barcoding pediatric leukemia for therapeutic purposes
    Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation CRAZY8Mar 1, 2021 - Feb 28, 2025
    Role: Co-investigator
    Description: Pediatric tumors likely arise from a fetal stem or progenitor cell pool that is maintained after birth and undergoes clonal expansion as a result of mutational or epigenetic events. The eight labs in this grant have developed cellular barcoding technology with single cell technology, to follow clones of cells from fetal life to adulthood.

    Collapse ORNG Applications 
    Collapse Featured Publications

    Collapse Bibliographic 
    Collapse Publications
    Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Researchers can login to make corrections and additions, or contact us for help. to make corrections and additions.
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    Altmetrics Details PMC Citations indicate the number of times the publication was cited by articles in PubMed Central, and the Altmetric score represents citations in news articles and social media. (Note that publications are often cited in additional ways that are not shown here.) Fields are based on how the National Library of Medicine (NLM) classifies the publication's journal and might not represent the specific topic of the publication. Translation tags are based on the publication type and the MeSH terms NLM assigns to the publication. Some publications (especially newer ones and publications not in PubMed) might not yet be assigned Field or Translation tags.) Click a Field or Translation tag to filter the publications.
    1. Leukemia-derived apelin selects endothelial niche clones to promote tumorigenesis. bioRxiv. 2024 Sep 13. Baron CS, Mitchell O, Avagyan S, Menard R, Yang S, Robertson AL, Potluri R, Shendure J, Madelaine R, McKenna A, Zon LI. PMID: 39314385; PMCID: PMC11419127.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    2. Hematopoietic stem cell division is governed by distinct RUNX1 binding partners. bioRxiv. 2024 Jun 08. Robertson AL, Yue L, Choudhuri A, Kubaczka C, Wattrus SJ, Mandelbaum J, Avagyan S, Yang S, Freeman RJ, Chan V, Blair MC, Daley GQ, Zon LI. PMID: 38895208; PMCID: PMC11185638.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    3. Editorial: Biological aspects of bone marrow failure. Front Oncol. 2023; 13:1295823. Diamantopoulos P, Avagyan S, Solomou E. PMID: 37860191; PMCID: PMC10584142.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions:
    4. Microenvironmental control of hematopoietic stem cell fate via CXCL8 and protein kinase C. Cell Rep. 2023 05 30; 42(5):112528. Binder V, Li W, Faisal M, Oyman K, Calkins DL, Shaffer J, Teets EM, Sher S, Magnotte A, Belardo A, Deruelle W, Gregory TC, Orwick S, Hagedorn EJ, Perlin JR, Avagyan S, Lichtig A, Barrett F, Ammerman M, Yang S, Zhou Y, Carson WE, Shive HR, Blachly JS, Lapalombella R, Zon LI, Blaser BW. PMID: 37209097; PMCID: PMC10824047.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    5. Clonal hematopoiesis and inflammation - the perpetual cycle. Trends Cell Biol. 2023 08; 33(8):695-707. Avagyan S, Zon LI. PMID: 36593155; PMCID: PMC10310890.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 13     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    6. Lessons From Pediatric MDS: Approaches to Germline Predisposition to Hematologic Malignancies. Front Oncol. 2022; 12:813149. Avagyan S, Shimamura A. PMID: 35356204; PMCID: PMC8959480.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 7  
    7. Resistance to inflammation underlies enhanced fitness in clonal hematopoiesis. Science. 2021 Nov 05; 374(6568):768-772. Avagyan S, Henninger JE, Mannherz WP, Mistry M, Yoon J, Yang S, Weber MC, Moore JL, Zon LI. PMID: 34735227.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 75     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    8. To T or not to B: germline RUNX1 mutation preferences in pediatric ALL predisposition. J Clin Invest. 2021 09 01; 131(17). Avagyan S, Brown AL. PMID: 34623329; PMCID: PMC8409576.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 4     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    9. B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in patients with germline RUNX1 mutations. Blood Adv. 2021 08 24; 5(16):3199-3202. Six KA, Gerdemann U, Brown AL, Place AE, Cantor AB, Kutny MA, Avagyan S. PMID: 34424323; PMCID: PMC8405188.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 9     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    10. Single-cell ATAC-seq reveals GATA2-dependent priming defect in myeloid and a maturation bottleneck in lymphoid lineages. Blood Adv. 2021 07 13; 5(13):2673-2686. Avagyan S, Weber MC, Ma S, Prasad M, Mannherz WP, Yang S, Buenrostro JD, Zon LI. PMID: 34170284; PMCID: PMC8221101.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 10     Fields:    Translation:Animals
    11. Comparison of Outcomes of Myeloablative Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation for Pediatric Patients with Bone Marrow Failure, Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myeloid Leukemia with and without Germline GATA2 Mutations. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2020 06; 26(6):1124-1130. Hofmann I, Avagyan S, Stetson A, Guo D, Al-Sayegh H, London WB, Lehmann L. PMID: 32088370; PMCID: PMC7276093.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 13     Fields:    Translation:HumansCells
    12. Efficient Transduction of Zebrafish Melanoma Cell Lines and Embryos Using Lentiviral Vectors. Zebrafish. 2017 08; 14(4):379-382. Fazio M, Avagyan S, van Rooijen E, Mannherz W, Kaufman CK, Lobbardi R, Langenau DM, Zon LI. PMID: 28557653; PMCID: PMC5549793.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    13. Understanding the regulation of vertebrate hematopoiesis and blood disorders - big lessons from a small fish. FEBS Lett. 2016 Nov; 590(22):4016-4033. Robertson AL, Avagyan S, Gansner JM, Zon LI. PMID: 27616157; PMCID: PMC5483340.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 17     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    14. Stress from Nucleotide Depletion Activates the Transcriptional Regulator HEXIM1 to Suppress Melanoma. Mol Cell. 2016 Apr 07; 62(1):34-46. Tan JL, Fogley RD, Flynn RA, Ablain J, Yang S, Saint-André V, Fan ZP, Do BT, Laga AC, Fujinaga K, Santoriello C, Greer CB, Kim YJ, Clohessy JG, Bothmer A, Pandell N, Avagyan S, Brogie JE, van Rooijen E, Hagedorn EJ, Shyh-Chang N, White RM, Price DH, Pandolfi PP, Peterlin BM, Zhou Y, Kim TH, Asara JM, Chang HY, Young RA, Zon LI. PMID: 27058786; PMCID: PMC4836061.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 52     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimalsCells
    15. Fish to Learn: Insights into Blood Development and Blood Disorders from Zebrafish Hematopoiesis. Hum Gene Ther. 2016 Apr; 27(4):287-94. Avagyan S, Zon LI. PMID: 27018965; PMCID: PMC4841069.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 28     Fields:    Translation:HumansAnimals
    16. Hematopoietic stem cell dysfunction underlies the progressive lymphocytopenia in XLF/Cernunnos deficiency. Blood. 2014 Sep 04; 124(10):1622-5. Avagyan S, Churchill M, Yamamoto K, Crowe JL, Li C, Lee BJ, Zheng T, Mukherjee S, Zha S. PMID: 25075129; PMCID: PMC4155271.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 12     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    17. Propranolol as a first-line treatment for diffuse infantile hepatic hemangioendothelioma. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2013 Mar; 56(3):e17-20. Avagyan S, Klein M, Kerkar N, Demattia A, Blei F, Lee S, Rosenberg HK, Arnon R. PMID: 22331019.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 9     Fields:    Translation:Humans
    18. Quantitative trait mapping reveals a regulatory axis involving peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors, PRDM16, transforming growth factor-β2 and FLT3 in hematopoiesis. Blood. 2011 Dec 01; 118(23):6078-86. Avagyan S, Aguilo F, Kamezaki K, Snoeck HW. PMID: 21967974; PMCID: PMC3234666.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 9     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    19. Prdm16 is a physiologic regulator of hematopoietic stem cells. Blood. 2011 May 12; 117(19):5057-66. Aguilo F, Avagyan S, Labar A, Sevilla A, Lee DF, Kumar P, Lemischka IR, Zhou BY, Snoeck HW. PMID: 21343612; PMCID: PMC3109532.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 68     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    20. ATP-binding cassette transporters and HDL suppress hematopoietic stem cell proliferation. Science. 2010 Jun 25; 328(5986):1689-93. Yvan-Charvet L, Pagler T, Gautier EL, Avagyan S, Siry RL, Han S, Welch CL, Wang N, Randolph GJ, Snoeck HW, Tall AR. PMID: 20488992; PMCID: PMC3032591.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 385     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    21. A quantitative trait locus on chr.4 regulates thymic involution. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2010 Jun; 65(6):620-5. Kumar R, Avagyan S, Snoeck HW. PMID: 20371546; PMCID: PMC2904592.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    22. Identification and in vivo analysis of murine hematopoietic stem cells. Methods Enzymol. 2010; 476:429-47. Avagyan S, Amrani YM, Snoeck HW. PMID: 20691879.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 2     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    23. A quantitative trait locus on chromosome 4 affects cycling of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells through regulation of TGF-beta 2 responsiveness. J Immunol. 2008 Nov 01; 181(9):5904-11. Avagyan S, Glouchkova L, Choi J, Snoeck HW. PMID: 18941179; PMCID: PMC2630176.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 6     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    24. Test of Cairns-Smith's 'crystals-as-genes' hypothesis. Faraday Discuss. 2007; 136:231-45; discussion 309-28. Bullard T, Freudenthal J, Avagyan S, Kahr B. PMID: 17955812.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 5     Fields:    Translation:Cells
    25. Immunokinetics of autoreactive CD4 T cells in blood: a reporter for the "hit-and-run" autoimmune attack on pancreas and diabetes progression. J Autoimmun. 2004 Sep; 23(2):151-60. George SK, Preda I, Avagyan S, McEvoy RC, Rapaport R, Brumeanu TD, Casares S. PMID: 15324933.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 1     Fields:    Translation:AnimalsCells
    26. Selection footprint in the FimH adhesin shows pathoadaptive niche differentiation in Escherichia coli. Mol Biol Evol. 2004 Jul; 21(7):1373-83. Sokurenko EV, Feldgarden M, Trintchina E, Weissman SJ, Avagyan S, Chattopadhyay S, Johnson JR, Dykhuizen DE. PMID: 15044596.
      View in: PubMed   Mentions: 51     Fields:    Translation:Cells
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