BRIC welcomes new group leader Ana Cvejic

The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded Dr. Ana Cvejic a Young Investigator Award to set up a research group at BRIC in 2022 where she will study the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of blood cells.

The mission of my research is to understand how blood cells develop and how their development and their ultimate function is determined/influenced by their environment and environmental cues. In my lab at BRIC we will study how stem and progenitor cells make cell fate choices in the context of niche they are surrounded by. The ultimate aim is to use this knowledge to develop new ways to treat disease and improve human health. Ana Cvejic

Ana Cvejic is currently a faculty member at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and a group leader at the Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge.  In 2022, The NNF Young Investigator Award will provide funding for her to move her lab and start in a Professorship at BRIC where she will continue her line of haematology research. Specifically, the award will support an ambitious study about the mechanisms involved in childhood leukemias in children with Down’s syndrome.

Many childhood leukaemias start to develop before birth due to accumulation of mutations during foetal development. Children with trisomy of chromosome 21(Ts21), also known as Down's Syndrome (DS), have a 500-fold increased chance of developing leukaemia. It is well known that an abnormal number of chromosomes is often associated with leukaemia and is likely to be driving this increased incidence of blood malignancies in children with DS, although the exact mechanism is still unknown. This study will investigate how abnormal number of chromosomes disturbs the formation of blood cell components and how it influences mutation accumulation and clonal selection in blood cells.

BRIC is an intellectually vibrant environment that supports communication and sharing of resources and ideas, which attracted me to join the centre. Being part of BRIC is a great opportunity for me to perform cutting-edge multi-disciplinary research and innovation in the field of human development, cancer and stem cell biology. Ana Cvejic

Ana Cvejic will be a significant strengthening of BRIC in the areas of fundamental cancer haematology and stem cell biology. Furthermore, her work is at the technological forefront in the use of spatial and single-cell analyses, which can provide strong synergies with researchers both inside and outside of BRIC. I am therefore very happy that Ana Cvejic has chosen to continue her career at BRIC, Anders H. Lund, Director of BRIC

About Ana Cvejic

In 2008 Ana received her PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Bristol, UK. She then moved to the University of Cambridge/Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute to start a Postdoctoral Fellowship, with Professor Willem Ouwehand. In 2012 Ana was awarded the CRUK Career Development Fellowship to start her independent group and in 2013 European Haematology Association Young Investigator Award. In 2015 Ana was awarded ERC Starting Grant and in 2016 EMBO Young Investigator award.

NNF Young Investigator Award

NNF Young Investigator Awards are for outstanding scientists to come to Denmark to expand their ground-breaking research programs. These awards provide funding for independent early- to mid-career researchers who are ready to conduct larger and more ambitious studies.