Email

radek.skoda@bcm.edu

Positions

Senior Faculty

Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Molecular and Cell Biology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, US

Professor

Department of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, United States

Education

Residency at University Hospital Basel

04/1989 - Basel, Switzerland

Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard Medical School, Dept. of Genetics

10/1993 - Boston

MD from University of Zurich

01/1983 - Zurich, Switzerland

Honors & Awards

Ernest Beutler Lecture and Prize

American Society of Hematology (01/2025)

David Grimwade Award

European Hematology Association (01/2020)

Ham Wasserman Lecture Award

American Society of Hematology (01/2007)

Professional Interests

• Molecular pathogenesis of myeloproliferative neoplasms
• Clonal hematopoiesis driven by the JAK2-V617F mutation

Professional Statement

We are investigating the pathogenesis of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), a group of chronic leukemias caused by gene mutations that are acquired in hematopoietic stem cells. In 2005, my research group described the JAK2-V617F mutation as the most frequent cause of MPN, which is acquired in approximately 70% of all patients with MPN. We further elucidated the contribution of additional gene mutations, including Ezh2 and Dnmt3a, to MPN outcome and prognosis. We also identified mutations in THPO and EPO genes as the cause of hereditary MPN-like syndromes. Since JAK2-V617F is frequently found in healthy individuals with clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), we are examining the factors that limit or promote the conversion from CHIP to MPN. We developed a JAK2-V617F mouse model that allows us to study MPN disease initiation from single hematopoietic stem cells, and using this system we recently demonstrated that the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1 promotes MPN disease initiation and progression to fibrosis. We now investigate the role of immune surveillance in CHIP initiation and the molecular mechanisms of how Dnmt3a mutations accelerate conversion from CHIP to MPN. We also study how JAK2-V617F mutant stem cells gain resistance to therapeutic agents currently used to treat patients with MPN, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors and interferon-α.

Websites

Selected Publications

• Usart, M., Stetka, J., Luque Paz, D., Hansen, N., Kimmerlin, Q., Almeida Fonseca, T., Lock, M., Kubovcakova, L., Karjalainen, R., Hao-Shen, H., Börsch, A., El Taher, A., Schulz , J., Leroux , J.C., Dirnhofer, S., Skoda, R.C,. "Loss of Dnmt3a increased self-renewal and resistance to pegIFNα in JAK2-V617F-positive myeloproliferative neoplasms.." Blood. 2024;143:2490-2503. Pubmed PMID: 38493481
• Stetka, J., Usart, M., Kubovcakova, L., Rao, T.N., Hao-Shen, H., Dirnhofer, S., et al.; Skoda, R.C. "Iron is a modifier of the phenotypes of JAK2-mutant myeloproliferative neoplasms.." Blood. 2023;141:2127-40.
• Rai, S., Grockowiak, E., Hansen, N., Luque Paz, D., Stoll, C.B., Hao-Shen, H., Mild-Schneider, G., Dirnhofer, S., Farady, C.J., Méndez-Ferrer, S., Skoda, R.C. "Inhibition of interleukin-1β reduces myelofibrosis and osteosclerosis in mice with JAK2-V617F driven myeloproliferative neoplasm.." Nature Communications. 2022;13:5346.
• 4) Zmajkovic, J., Lundberg, P., Nienhold, R., Lyngaas Torgersen, M., Sundan, A., Waage, A. Skoda, R.C. "A gain-of-function mutation in EPO in familial erythrocytosis.." N. Engl. J. Med. 2018;378:924-30.

Memberships

American Society of Hematology (ASH)

Member (01/1994)

Swiss Society of Hematology (SGH-SSH)

Member (01/1995)

European Hematology Association (EHA)

Member (01/2005)