Translational Program

Monica Guzman, Ph.D.

Overview

Monica Guzman, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Pharmacology in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. Relapse and dose-limiting toxicities are major therapeutic challenges in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) given the current standard of care. The difficulty in treating AML is thought to arise from a chemoresistant subpopulation of leukemia stem cells that are capable of reinitiating disease. Dr. Guzman leads a research program focused on developing of therapeutic strategies for targeting these leukemic stem cells.

The laboratory’s primary research interest is the identification of novel therapeutic approaches for targeting leukemia stem cells (LSCs) without harming normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). By understanding the mechanisms that mediate LSCs survival and chemo-resistance, we can develop new therapeutic approaches.

She collaborates with a multidisciplinary team of physicians, medicinal chemists, botanists, computational biologists, genome scientists, and industry partners to develop the next generation of anti-leukemia stem cell therapies. Dr. Guzman works with physicians in the Leukemia Program at Weill Cornell Medicine and the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital to translate these observations into clinical trials for patients with leukemia.

Learn more about Dr. Guzman’s research.