Dr. Jan A. Burger

Regular Member

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Department of Leukemia

Research Interests:

• Tumor microenvironment
• Chemokine receptors
• Adhesion molecules
• Signaling pathways
• B cell receptor signaling
• Development of new therapeutic strategies to overcome stromal cell-mediated drug resistance

The research in my group focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanism of cross talk between leukemia cells and their microenvironment. Our research is focused on the role of B cell chemokine receptors, their interactions with adhesion molecules, and downstream signaling events. Also, we explore the role of the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) and its signaling in B cells from patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL). Our research is now leading to clinical trial in leukemia patients, in which we target CXCR4 chemokine receptors or the BCR-associated Syk kinase.

Projects/techniques: Identification and verification of cellular and molecular pathways of cross talk between leukemia cells and their microenvironment by cell biology assays, microarray techniques, PCR, immunoblotting. Testing of novel drugs (inhibitors of chemokine receptors, kinase inhibitors, integrin antagonists) for pre-clinical development.


Selected Publications:

Niedermeier M, Hennessy BT, Knight ZA, Henneberg M, Hu J, Kurtova AV, Wierda WG, Keating MJ, Shokat KM, Burger JA (2009) Isoform-selective phosphoinositide 3'-kinase inhibitors inhibit CXCR4 signaling and overcome stromal cell-mediated drug resistance in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: a novel therapeutic approach. Blood. March 24. (Epub ahead of print).

Kurtova AV, Tamayo AT, Ford RJ, Burger JA (2009) Mantle cell lymphoma cells express high levels of CXCR4, CXCR5, and VLA-4 (CD49d): importance for interactions with the stromal microenvironment and specific targeting. Blood. Feb 19. (epub ahead of print).

Burger JA, Quiroga M, Harmann E, Burkle A, Wierda WG, Keating MJ, Rosenwald A (2009) A High-Level Expression of the T Cell Chemokines CCL3 and CCL4 by Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia B cells in nurselike cell co-cultures and after BCR stimulation. Blood. March 26:113(13):3050-8.

Burkle A, Niedermeier M, Schmitt-Graff A, Wierda WG, Keating MJ, Burger JA (2007) Overexpression of the CXCR5 chemokine receptor, and its ligand, CXCL13 in B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Blood. 110-3316-25, Nov 2007.

Additional Publications

Program Affiliation:

Program in Experimental Therapeutics