This research initiative is designed to enhance the comprehension of the etiology of acute  leukemia (AL) and mechanisms of drug resistance, as well as to refine therapeutic approaches for this condition. AL, a neoplastic disorder arising from hematopoietic stem cells, is distinguished by the dysregulation of leukemic cell proliferation, impediments in cellular differentiation, and the inhibition of programmed cell death. These aberrant cells proliferate excessively, leading to a significant accumulation in the bone marrow and other hematopoietic tissues, which in turn inhibits the normal hematopoietic function of the bone marrow and results in the impairment of normal blood cell function. The program is tailored to fulfill the pressing demands for elucidating etiology and drug resistance mechanisms, thus to develop novel therapeutic strategies within the field of AL. It is committed to the education and training of early-career physicians and graduate students in hematology, providing them with state-of-the-art knowledge in AL research and fundamental research methodologies. The program targets graduate students, research fellows, and postdoctoral researchers who exhibit a profound interest in hematology, bioinformatics, and translational medicine, and who are dedicated to enhancing the therapeutic outcomes and prognostic indicators for patients afflicted with AL.

Weekly mentorship meetings with Professor Wang and the leukemia subspecialty team.

Access to advanced laboratory facilities, including cell culture rooms, flow cytometers, PCR machines, and experimental animal centers.

Publication of articles or correspondence in hematology journals, and presentation of posters or oral reports at domestic and international hematology conferences.

Familiarity with the latest publications from the top hematology journals to cultivate critical thinking, analytical, and experimental skills.

Real-time involvement in clinical trials and translational research projects, mastering clinical study design and analysis.

Understand the principles and applications of molecular biology and cancer immunotherapy

Develop proficiency in cutting-edge laboratory techniques, such as single-cell sequencing and spatial omics

Gain experience in clinical trial design and analysis

Cultivate skills in scientific writing and grant preparation

1) Unveiled and clarified multiple new targets for leukemia stem cells, discovered the important role of the bone marrow microenvironment in leukemia stem cells, designed small molecule compounds targeting new leukemia stem cell targets and verified their functions, laying the foundation for clinical research, and selected monoclonal antibodies with independent intellectual property rights;

2) Proposed new treatment concepts for acute leukemia, created new schemes for targeted therapy combined with traditional chemotherapy for acute leukemia, which have higher and deeper remission rates compared to international standard treatment plans, targeting leukemia stem cells, largely solving the clinical problems of primary and secondary drug resistance in leukemia, and improving the overall prognosis of patients with acute leukemia;

3) Revealed the karyotype characteristics of acute myeloid leukemia in China, discovered several karyotype characteristics related to prognosis, and laid the foundation for further exploration of the interrelationship between leukemia stem cells and karyotypes.

Projects:

1. Integrating spatial transcriptome, single-cell sequencing and histopathology reveals bone marrow spatial heterogeneous in AML patients

2. Metabolic signature of oxidative phosphorylation deficiency with activated nucleotide biosynthesis in early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

3. Novel Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Immunotherapies in AL

4. C-myc inhibitor in AML

5. Impact of different therapeutic regimen on prognosis in CEBPAbZIP-inf acute myeloid leukemia

6. A novel prognostic model for adult acute myeloid leukemia patients with NPM1 mutation

Undergraduate students:

Candidates should be enrolled in a bachelor's degree program in clinical medicine or a related field in molecular biology. Applicants with prior coursework in biochemistry and molecular biology, pharmacology, and immunology will be given preference. A basic level of English proficiency is required.

Graduate students:

Candidates must be enrolled in a Master’s, M.D. or Ph.D. program in clinical medicine, biomedicine, immunology, or a related field. Familiarity with research methodologies and laboratory techniques is required. Fluency in English is mandatory.

Researcher fellows:

Applicants should have an advanced degree (M.Sc. M.D. Ph.D. or equivalent) in clinical medicine with some prior research experience. Candidates must demonstrate an ability to work independently and contribute to team projects. Proficiency in English is essential.

Doctors：

Candidates must hold an M.D. degree with clinical experience, preferably in hematology or internal medicine. Research experience is not mandatory but is a strong advantage. Applicants must be fluent in English.

Postdocs：

Postdoctoral fellows should have a Ph.D. in clinical medicine, immunology, or an M.D. with clinical training in medicine, or the equivalent of education, training and experience. Candidates should be fluent in English.

Duration: 8 weeks/months

Daily Training Schedule:

Monday:

8:00 AM – 11:30 AM: Lecture on Basics of AML

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM: lab training: single-cell RNA sequencing and flow cytometry

Tuesday:

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Workshop on bioinformatics tools for biomarker discovery

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM: Journal club: Discussing recent papers in hematology journals

Wednesday:

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Data analysis for clinical trial results

12:30 AM – 2:30 PM: One-on-one mentorship meetings

Program Training Schedule:

1. Introduction & Welcome

Time Duration: (1 day)

Activities:

Workshop overview and objectives

Introduction of hematology department and facilitators/tutors

2. Foundational Session

Time Duration: ( 1 week)

Topics:

Literature review or background introduction

Key concepts and theories related to the acute leukemia

Format: Lecture, paper reading, interactive Q&A

3. Practical/Hands-On Session

Time Duration: (3 weeks)

Activities:

Demonstrations of research tools or methods (e.g. lab equipment, software like graphpad prism, R, spss, FlowJo)

Practice exercises where participants conduct experiments following protocols

Guided small-group activities for performing a series of experiments or analyzing data

4. Focused Research Topics

Time Duration: (3 weeks)

Topics:

Focus on AML advances (e.g. advanced chemotherapies, immunotherapies, targeted therapies, allo-HSCT, drug resistance)

Format: Interactive lectures, guest speakers, or multimedia presentations

5. Collaborative Session

Time Duration: (1 week)

Activities:

Medical case presentation competition and debate competition

Problem-solving exercises or clinical reasoning competition

6. Wrap-Up & Reflection

Time Duration: (2 days)

Activities:

Clinical diagnosis and treatment strategy presentation and a series of assessments

Feedback session (e.g. online survey or live Q&A)

Assessment Methods:

Submit experimental records and analysis of experimental results, summarizing lab work and findings

On-site written examination of hematology theoretical knowledge

Select a cutting-edge literature in hematology for online PPT report, which is required to be in English

Certificates provided upon successful completion of the program

Participants can anonymously score their teaching attitudes, teaching effects, and self-feelings through the questionnaire at the end of the course, and the instructor will also comment on the experimental reports, literature reports, and theoretical test results submitted by the participants, and the feedback results will be sent to the participants in private messages.

The program is free of charge.

Program Coordinator:ZHUO Nanfang

Email: 22318388@zju.edu.cn

Phone:+86 195 5815 5520