Damon Runyon Researchers

Dr. Weeks [Damon Runyon-Timmerman Traverse Clinical Investigator] plans to develop computerized models that can review images of blood cells and predict a patient’s risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia. Because computers can capture small changes in images better than humans looking at cells under a microscope, such a model could connect data about the shapes and appearance of blood cells to the presence of pre-leukemia genetic changes known as clonal hematopoiesis. This work will inform the extent to which blood cell appearance is associated with the underlying biology of leukemia and Pre-leukemia. Ultimately, Dr. Weeks aims to refine existing models of leukemia risk prediction and pave the way for screening programs that can identify individuals with clonal hematopoiesis who are at the highest risk for progressing to cancer.