Cynthia Elizabeth Dunbar, M.D., is head of the Laboratory of Molecular
Hematopoiesis in the Hematology Branch at the National Heart, Lung, and
Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). Dr. Dunbar came to the NHLBI as a postdoctoral fellow in the
laboratory of Arthur Neinhuis in 1987, became a principal investigator
in 1993, and has been head of the Molecular Hematopoiesis Lab since
2000.
Dr. Dunbar’s research group investigates the mechanisms by
which stem cells develop and differentiate into other cell types,
particularly in relation to hematopoiesis, which governs the formation
of new blood cells. Using cell lines and animal models, her research
goal is to gain insight into the factors that control stem cell
development. Such insight will aid in manipulating and modifying
hematopoietic stem cells for applications in gene therapy, stem cell
transplantation and other clinical interventions. Applying the knowledge
gained from her stem cell work, Dr. Dunbar also conducts detailed
preclinical studies aimed at improving the delivery and effectiveness of
gene therapy interventions for blood-related disorders.
Dr.
Dunbar earned a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University in Cambridge,
Mass., in 1980 and a Doctor of Medicine from Harvard Medical School in
Boston in 1984; she subsequently completed her medical internship and
residency at Boston City Hospital, and hematology fellowship training at
the University of California, San Francisco.
Dr. Dunbar has
authored more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific and review articles, and
has given dozens of invited lectures and presentations about her work.
She is the Editor-in-Chief of the journal BLOOD, the flagship
publication of the American Society of Hematology.
Areas of expertise: Stem cells and stem cell therapy, gene therapy.