2019 M. Irené Ferrer Awardee, Columbia University
What is Dr. Jennifer Amengual studying?
Dr. Jennifer Amengual is focused on developing improved, targeted therapies for primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL), a rare subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that accounts for 2–4% of all lymph node cancers. This distinct disease primarily affects adolescents and young adults, with a higher incidence in females, particularly during their third and fourth decades of life. PMBCL is characterized by both epigenetic and immune system abnormalities that contribute to its development. Epigenetic modulation refers to changes in gene activity that do not alter the underlying DNA sequence but instead involve chemical modifications—such as adding or removing tags on DNA or the proteins around which DNA is wrapped—that can turn genes on or off. In cancer, these changes can silence tumor-suppressing genes or activate genes that promote cancer growth. Dr. Amengual’s research aims to understand how epigenetic modulation influences key drivers of PMBCL and immune function, and to investigate whether combining epigenetic therapies with immune checkpoint inhibitors can create a more effective, synergistic treatment approach.
Awarded: $60,000
Why study this rare kind of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
This is a rare disorder that afflicts younger patients and occurs more frequently in female patients rather than male patients. Studying the characteristics of the disease in the two sexes may lead to more effective personalized treatment of the illness. It will also help improve the long-term management of the disease in this young population.
What did Dr. Amengual find during her research?
Doctor Amengual found that cancer cells “hijack” small chemical modifications of the patient’s DNA (which are produced by the process of epigenetics) to support tumor growth and progression. She has assessed optimal methods to target these important epigenetic agents in developing better focused treatments for lymphomas.
How did The Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine’s grant help her research?
Doctor Amengual is an important advocate of targeting disorders of the epigenetic system to treat lymphomas. She has published four papers in prestigious journals (including a review in Nature since we awarded her support.
What is Dr. Amengual’s current status?
Dr. Amengual continues her research at the Herbert Irving Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, Center for Lymphoid Malignancies, and Hebert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The Amengual laboratory is located in the William Black Building and are members of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center Cancer Genomics and Epigenomics Program. They focus on developing personalized epigenetic treatment platforms by targeting specific pathogenetic mechanisms driving disease. Bridging ideas generated at the bench, these highly collaborative research projects, should allow for a strategic and rapid translation to clinical practice.