The laboratory focuses its study in the role of the three-dimensional (3D) genome organization in the leukemic phenotype and how the organization of chromatin at the cellular level can be altered. To achieve this, the Nuclear Architecture in Leukemia group uses a multidisciplinary approach that includes state-of-the-art genomic technology, confocal microscopy imaging and optogenetics.

In Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), the most common mutations affect transcription factors and chromatin modifiers, which alter the functions of proteins, modify the transcriptional program and trigger the proliferation of leukemic cells.

Understanding the mechanisms that control cell identity, the alterations in genome organization and gene expression will help offer new biomedical applications to treat lymphoblastic leukemias.

Dr. Stik's career

Dr. Stik became interested in gene regulation mechanisms in disease during his Ph.D. His work in this field demonstrated how the oncogenic herpesvirus uses cellular transcription factors to express essential microRNAs to induce lymphoma. He moved to the Laboratory of Developmental Biology in Paris (CNRS) as a postdoctoral fellow, where he focused on studying the mechanisms that control the fate of hematopoietic stem cells. He subsequently joined the Center for Genomic Regulation as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, laying the groundwork for an independent scientific career and developing new lines of research to explore the role of 3D genome organization in gene regulation. In October 2022, he joined the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute as Principal Investigator of the Nuclear Architecture in Leukemia group.

During his career, Dr. Stik has made important scientific discoveries, publishing his results in journals of high impact and influence in the world of biomedicine such as Nature Genetics, Nature Cell Biology, Nature Review Immunology, Stem Cell Reports, Genome Biology or Nature Immunology.