Top News
Discoveries targeting aggressive blood cancers Scientists from the Wells Center's Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Biology Research Program have published two recent studies in Nature Communications focused on new approaches to understanding and combating treatment-resistant blood cancers like acute myeloid leukemia. Learn about a new treatment strategy and find out about an unrecognized immune cell linked to leukemia.
New clinical trial explores bone disease drug as a potential Type 1 diabetes treatmentThe Wells Center's diabetes clinical research team is part of a new clinical trial investigating whether denosumab, an FDA-approved treatment for osteoporosis and bone tumors, can preserve insulin-producing beta cells and improve blood sugar control in individuals with early-stage Type 1 diabetes. Learn about the clinical study.
Cutting-edge treatment approach addresses neurobehavioral symptoms in neurofibromatosis Type 1A new study led by researchers in the Wells Center's Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics Program revealed a potential strategy to address neurobehavioral challenges associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). These findings may also apply to 700+ other rare diseases caused by similar gene disruptions. More on the discovery.
Undergraduate interns dive into biomedical research at the IU School of MedicineMore than 20 undergraduate students joined internships hosted by the Wells Center this summer, gaining hands-on experience in science and medicine. The students learned from experts at IU while conducting their own research to present at the end of their programs. Meet some of the interns.
More Team Wells Updates
Undergraduate internship program gives aspiring bioscience researchers hands-on training
Katherine Brady and Mansi Nayak are part of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program at IU Indianapolis, where they’re contributing to groundbreaking cancer research in the Kelley lab at the Wells Center. Through this hands-on internship, students collaborate closely with faculty mentors to tackle real-world research challenges — all while balancing academic success. More on the internship and their participation.
IU researcher and AI-powered biotech firm test tumor-shrinking drug for rare disease
D. Wade Clapp, MD, and his research team have been collaborating since 2019 with Healx, a British-based biotech company that uses artificial intelligence to develop new treatments for rare diseases. Together, they have advanced clinical trials for HLX-1502, a new drug compound that shows promise for shrinking neurofibromatosis type 1 tumors with minimal side effects. This partnership highlights the powerful role of public-private collaborations in driving progress for rare disease research. More on this partnership and research.
Pediatric cancer researcher explores novel treatments for solid tumors
Karen Pollok, PhD, leads groundbreaking pediatric cancer research at the Wells Center and IU, inspired by families like those of Caroline Symmes and Tyler Trent. The Pollok lab develops targeted therapies to reduce long-term side effects of chemotherapy, using patient-donated tumor models to drive safer, more effective treatments for children. Learn about Pollok's work.
IU researchers use patient-derived model to explore immune system issues in Barth syndrome
Using genetic data from a local Barth syndrome patient, Wells Center researchers identified factors that contribute to neutropenia, a dangerous blood complication. Their findings may lead to more effective therapies for Barth syndrome and other rare diseases. Read about the study.
Inaugural Molecular Biology Olympics
The inaugural Wells Center Molecular Biology Olympics event took place on May 15, 2025, to celebrate the end of the spring semester with a spirited celebration of science. Participating teams tested their skills in speed, dexterity, accuracy and scientific whimsy!
CD3A at the Global Entrepreneurship Network Congress
Mark Kelley, PhD, and colleagues involved in IU's Cancer Drug Discovery and Development Accelerator (CD3A), presented insights on CD3A at the Global Entrepreneurship Network Congress 2025, held in Indianapolis from June 2 to June 5.
2025 IU CCEH Workshop
The annual IU Cooperative Center of Excellence in Hematology (CCEH) workshop took place June 24 through June 26. The program introduced high school and undergraduate interns to nonmalignant hematology research and highlighted the resources available through the National Institutes of Health-funded CCEH. Students also attended a lunch lecture focused on career pathways in science and medicine.
Welcome to the Wells Center
Help us extend a warm welcome and congratulations to the members of Team Wells who have joined or accepted new positions with us since May 2025:
Emma Adolay – Soranno lab
Jocelyne Hanquier - Angus lab
Felicia Johnson - Facilities team
Ray Li – Huang lab
Pavel Loginovic - Evans-Molina lab
Kanaka Sai Ram Padam - Kapur & Pasupaleti labs
Julie Phung - Soranno lab
Abby Russi - Nutrition and Molecular Metabolism Program
Jignesh Tailor - Molecular Oncology and Experimental Therapeutics Program
Daria Tsoneva - Haque lab
Discovery in Action
Congratulations to Grant and Award Recipients
Members of the Wells Center have received numerous grants and awards in recent months. Here are a few highlights:
Caylin Billingsley, MD/PhD candidate | 2025 Walter A. and Laura W. Deutsch Research Endowment scholarship recipient
Simon Conway, PhD | “Role of p53 Pathway in Barth Syndrome patient-Tailored Mouse Allele” (Barth Syndrome Foundation Inc)
Brian J. DeBosch, MD, PhD | “Treating secondary cardiomyopathies by mimicking the adaptive hepatic glucose fasting response” (NIH R01 - National Heart, Lung And Blood Institute)
Jamie Felton, MD | “A Real-World Observational Study Characterizing Patients With Type 1 Diabetes Treated with Teplizumab” (Outcome Science, LLC/Sanofi)
Renzhi Han, PhD | “Nicholoff Family Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Research Fund” (Riley Children’s Foundation)
Tamara Haque, PhD | “TGFβ Restricts Tfh2 Differentiation but Augments IgE-Mediated Mast Cell Function: Critical and Opposing Roles in Allergic Disease” (NIH K22 - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
Roland W. Herzog, PhD | “Whole body single AAV microgene therapy in canine DMD” (University of Missouri)
Yunjie Huang, PhD | “Personalized sup-tRNA approach for PTC mutations in Cystic Fibrosis” (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)
Tzu-Chieh Ho, PhD | “Dual Targeting Inflammatory Signaling and Immune Escape in AML” (Wells Center Emerging Therapies)
Chandy John, MD | “Research training in infection and neurodevelopment in Uganda “(NIH D43 - Fogarty International Center)
Mark Kelley, PhD | “Tom Wood Lexus Foundation Lexxll” (Riley Children's Foundation)
Mark Kelley, PhD & D. Wade Clapp, MD | “Pediatric and Adult Translational Cancer Drug Discovery and Development Training Program (PACT-D3)” (NIH T32 – National Cancer Institute)
Karen Pollok, PhD | “Christian's Flash to a Cure” (Riley Children's Foundation) / “Mighty Mason RMS Research Fund” (Riley Children's Foundation)
Nathan Schmidt, PhD | 2025 Showalter Scholar
Andrew L. Schwaderer, MD | “Impact of Vitamin D Deficiency on Immune Cell Recruitment and Signaling in Kidney Infections.” (Society For Pediatric Research, Inc.)
Aditya S. Sheth, PhD | “CENPF as a biomarker and therapeutic target for NF1-associated MPNST” (Children’s Tumor Foundation)
Andrew Tilston-Lunel, PhD | “Modulating Epithelial Cell Fate to Restore the Sense of Smell: A Path to Recovery” (Ralph W. and Grace M. Showalter Trust) / “Ciliary Dysfunction, Antigen Stasis, and Asthma Risk: Mechanisms Linking PCD to Pediatric Airway Inflammation” (Wells Center Emerging Therapies)
Tuan Tran, MD, PhD | 2025 Showalter Scholar / “A systems analysis to understand the differential pharmacokinetics and protective efficacy of anti-malarial monoclonal antibodies in field trials” (NIH R01 - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
Nathan VanDusen, PhD | “Development of tools for rapid systematic refinement of in vivo gene editing technologies” (NIH R21 - Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
Xuepeng Wang, PhD | “Targeting the Oxygen–Calcium–Rap1–CXCR4 Axis to Enhance Homing and Engraftment of Human Cord Blood HSPCs in Pediatric Transplantation” (Wells Center Emerging Therapies)
Lei Yang, PhD | “Long non-coding RNA MCRL1 regulates human cardiac and hematopoietic differentiation via interacting with β-Catenin” (NIH R01 - National Heart, Lung And Blood Institute)
Ji Zhang, PhD | “Inhibition of asparagine synthetase (ASNS) to overcome therapeutic resistance in pediatric leukemia” (Wells Center Emerging Therapies)
Kudos and Recognition
- Congrats to the following Wells Center faculty members on their recent promotions!
Reza Saadatzadeh, PhD, Senior Research Professor of Pediatrics
Nathan Schmidt, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics
Baohua Zhou, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology & Immunology - Gabriella Hartman, PhD, who closely collaborated with the Kelley and Fishel labs, has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 University Distinguished PhD Dissertation Award in the Biological/Life Sciences category for her dissertation, “Elucidating the Role of Ref-1 in Retinal Neovascularization.”
- Mark Kelley, PhD, and Melissa L. Fishel, PhD, were issued a new U.S. patent titled “Use of APE1/Ref-1 inhibitors for treatment of retinal diseases.”
