Research

Cancer Research & Molecular Biology, reimagined.

The Divij Verma Lab maps early disease steps in hematologic and prostate cancers. We combine wet- and dry-lab approaches to understand clonal evolution and uncover targets for prevention and therapy.

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Our Research

Disease evolution
Environmental exposures
Clonal Hematopoiesis

Defining how aging and inflammatory signaling drive stem-cell mutations that seed myeloid disease.

Environmental Exposures

Studying how toxic exposures and stress pathways shape mutation selection and cancer initiation.

Prostate Cancer Biology

Investigating microenvironmental cues, lineage plasticity, and therapy response in prostate tumors.

Inflammation & Niche

Exploring how cytokine networks and stromal-immune interactions influence disease evolution.

Our Team

Dr. Divij Verma
PI
Dr. Divij Verma, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Plabani Sahu
Plabani Sahu, M.S.

Visiting Scientist

We’re hiring
Open Positions

Research Technicians and Postdocs. Send a single PDF (CV + brief cover letter) to divij.verma@einsteinmed.edu.

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Recent News

Publications & Grants

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  • Elevated clonal hematopoiesis in 9/11 first responders has distinct age-related patterns and relies on IL1RAP for clonal expansion. Cancer Discov. 2025 Oct 1. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-24-1590 . PMID: 41031953 .
  • Cigarette smoking is associated with worse prognosis in myelodysplastic syndromes and hematopoietic alterations in murine models. Leuk Lymphoma. 2025 Oct;66(10):1964–1968. doi: 10.1080/10428194.2025.2513675 . Epub 2025 Jun 9. PMID: 40488778 .
  • Glutaminase inhibition in combination with azacytidine in myelodysplastic syndromes: a phase 1b/2 clinical trial and correlative analyses. Nat Cancer. 2024 Oct;5(10):1515–1533. doi: 10.1038/s43018-024-00811-3 . Epub 2024 Sep 19. PMID: 39300320 .
  • Dietary iron restriction protects against vaso-occlusion and organ damage in murine sickle cell disease. Blood. 2023 Jan 12;141(2):194–199. doi: 10.1182/blood.2022016218 . PMID: 36315910 .
  • Germline variants drive myelodysplastic syndrome in young adults. Leukemia. 2021 Aug;35(8):2439–2444. doi: 10.1038/s41375-021-01137-0 . Epub 2021 Jan 28. PMID: 33510405 .
  • Future directions in preclinical and translational cancer neuroscience research. Nat Cancer. 2021 Nov;1:1027–1031. doi: 10.1038/s43018-020-00146-9 . Epub 2020 Nov 17. PMID: 34327335 .
  • Bone marrow niche-derived extracellular matrix-degrading enzymes influence the progression of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Leukemia. 2020 Jun;34(6):1540–1552. doi: 10.1038/s41375-019-0674-7 . Epub 2020 Jan 9. PMID: 31919471 .
  • Clinically Actionable Strategies for Studying Neural Influences in Cancer. Cancer Cell. 2020 Jul 13;38(1):11–14. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2020.05.023 . Epub 2020 Jun 11. PMID: 32531270 .
  • Vitamin K antagonism impairs the bone marrow microenvironment and hematopoiesis. Blood. 2019 Jul 18;134(3):227–238. doi: 10.1182/blood.2018874214 . Epub 2019 Apr 19. PMID: 31003999 .
  • The transcriptional regulator FUBP1 influences disease outcome in murine and human myeloid leukemia. Leukemia. 2019 Jul;33(7):1700–1712. doi: 10.1038/s41375-018-0358-8 . Epub 2019 Jan 11. PMID: 30635626 .
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Mission & Values

We seek mechanistic understanding of how neurons and molecules drive brain function and dysfunction. We emphasize rigorous science, open collaboration, and mentorship.

We foster an inclusive environment where all voices thrive.

Reproducibility, data sharing, and careful validation guide our work.

We support diverse career goals with structured guidance.
At a glance
  • Wet-lab + Computational synergy
  • Advanced imaging pipelines

Contact

We’d love to collaborate and hear from prospective trainees.

Get in touch

Affiliations

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