Kats Lab
Left to Right: Rheana Franich, Emily Gruber, Alexander Lewis, Lev Kats, Anthony Lu, Sree Kumar and Joseph Cefai
Each month, Simply Blood spotlights a lab contributing to the fields of hematology, immunology, stem cell research, cell and gene therapies, and more. Get to know groups doing cutting edge research from around the world! This month, we're featuring the Kats Lab out of The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia.
How long have you had your lab?
9 years
How many members make up your lab?
This year we had 2 postdocs, a research assistant and 4 students.
What is the major research theme of your lab?
We are broadly interested in epigenetic and metabolic pathways that control cell fate. Our overall goal is to use fundamental biological knowledge to develop new therapeutic strategies for blood cancers.
What is the most exciting project in your lab right now?
We have been studying heme metabolism in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Heme is a fascinating molecule that controls diverse biological processes in non-erythroid cells. De novo heme biosynthesis appears to be a selective dependency in AML cells and blocking heme biosynthesis triggers cuproptosis, a form or copper dependent cell death.
What is the key to running a successful lab?
Lab culture is really important. For us teamwork is a huge focus. Everyone has strengths but also weaknesses. Understanding what those and getting people who have complimentary skills to work together not only boosts productivity but also enables team members to learn from one another.
What advice do you have for new investigators just opening their lab?
Spend some time to decide the area(s) you will focus on. There are few points in your career when you get the opportunity to reset your agenda and you need to balance your interests with strategy. What are the big questions you care about and are you the right person to answer them? What resources do you need and what kind of team do you want to build?
What was the most exciting part about starting your new lab?
I really like thinking about projects from the very beginning and also having the intellectual freedom to work on things that I think are interesting and important. When I started my lab we had some projects that were a continuation of what I was doing before, but we also started some brand new things that were very different and led us into brand new areas.
Does your lab attend the ISEH annual meeting?
I typically only go to 1-2 international meetings per year and for the past 4 years I have been at the ISEH annual meeting. Members of my lab have also been to some meetings and really enjoyed them. We also tune in to the various ISEH online events (e.g. the symposium organised by the Junior Faculty Committee).
What is the most beneficial aspect of ISEH membership for your lab?
Finding out about the latest scientific trends as they are happening is really important. ISEH also provides great opportunities for collaboration.
How do members of your lab celebrate accomplishments?
Cake and coffee during the day and drinks after work.
Does your lab have any fun traditions?
We go for coffee as a lab on Friday morning and we like to sample different coffee places that are in the neighbourhood
Blog post contributed by Simranpreet Kaur of the ISEH Publications Committee.
Please note that the statements made by Simply Blood authors are their own views and not necessarily the views of ISEH. ISEH disclaims any or all liability arising from any author's statements or materials.