Siegfried Janz, MD
Research Laboratory
Contact Information
Phone: 319-335-9986
1132 Medical Laboratories
Research Program Overview
After obtaining his medical degree from the University of Leipzig,
Germany, where he also received his board-certification in Clinical
Immunology, Siegfried Janz joined the National Cancer Institute (NCI),
Bethesda, Maryland, to study the pathogenesis of
immunoglobulin-producing tumors of terminally differentiated
B-lymphocytes in laboratory mice. In the years at NCI, his research
interest in mouse models of human B-cell and plasma-cell neoplasms was
shaped.
In 2007 he relocated his laboratory to The University of Iowa, where his
research is currently focused on three projects. The first project –
supported by 1R01CA151354-01 from the NCI – takes advantage of two
complementary, unbiased, genetic-forward screenings in a Myc-transgenic
mouse model of human plasma-cell neoplasia to enhance our understanding
of the genetic pathways underlying malignant plasma-cell transformation.
The second project – supported by grant award agreement 2010-1 from
the International Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia Foundation (IWMF) –
concerns the development of a transgenic mouse model of human WM. The
third project – supported by a senior research award from the Multiple
Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) – uses genetically engineered mice
for the preclinical validation of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL-6,
for translational myeloma research.
All three projects rely on transgenic mice that were generated in the Janz Laboratory. The Research Projects
section of this website attempts to describe in more detail how the
mice will be utilized to study mechanisms of neoplastic B-cell and
plasma-cell development, learn about tumor biology and genetics, and
assess new intervention approaches for the benefit of human cancer
patients. The Selected Links below provides additional information on major
sponsors of B-cell and plasma-cell tumor research, whose generous
support of the Janz lab is gratefully acknowledged: NCI, IWMF and MMRF.
Selected Links
National Cancer Institute (NCI) – As an important part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the NCI is the Federal Government's principal agency for cancer research and training. The NCI's research programs are extensive and contain many innovative initiatives on malignant neoplasms of the B-lymphocyte lineage, including B-cell lymphoma, Waldenström's macroglobulinemia and multiple myeloma.
InternationalWaldenström's Macroglobulinemia Foundation (IWMF) – The IWMF offers caring support for patients with Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) and promotes enhanced understanding of WM by supporting basic medical and scientific research into the causes, treatments, and potential cures for WM.
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) – The MMRF is the largest nonprofit foundation dedicated to accelerating the search for a cure for multiple myeloma. Through the building of interdisciplinary collaborations, the MMRF is expanding therapeutic treatments for myeloma and extending the lives of multiple myeloma patients worldwide.
(See complete publications list at PubMed)