Jon Christopher Aster, MD, PhD

I am a physician scientist with a longstanding interest in the role of Notch signaling in cancer. In 2004, my lab discovered that ~60% of human T-ALLs have point mutations in the Notch1 receptor that cause aberrant increases in signaling. This finding vaulted dysregulated Notch signaling to the center of T-ALL pathogenesis and served as the basis for a P01 grant centered on basic aspects of Notch signaling in cancer, as well as a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Specialized Center of Research (LLS SCOR) grant that sought to develop safe and effective therapies directed at Notch and other emerging targets in lymphoid malignancies. More recently, I have begun to conduct basic work focused on understanding the function of a family of B55a/PP2A-interacting polypeptides that share a SERTA-domain (SERTAD) as well as more translation work that seeks to characterize and determine the function of stromal elements in indolent human lymphomas such as CLL/SLL and follicular lymphoma.

I am also active in translational research through my role as Director of the Specialized Histopathology Core, a component of the Harvard Consortium Cancer Center. This is an unusual CAP/CLIA certified research facility that provides pathology services to >100 users per year and increasing serves to support clinical trials across MGB. Since its establishment, the SHP Core has provided salary support for multiple pathologists, thus creating protected time for participation in basic and translational research projects involving pathologic analysis of tissues.

I have also been a member of the clinical division of hematopathology for over 30 years and attend on the hematopathology service frequently. In this role I spend many hours per year teaching trainees at the microscope.

My remaining effort is spent on education and administrative duties. I co-edit Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease and Robbins Basic Pathology, two of the most widely used pathology textbooks in the world, as well as Essential Pathology, a new textbook focused on serving the needs of students at medical schools with integrated curricula; serve as co-editor for Pathophysiology of Blood Disorders, a hematology “handbook”, principally directed at medical students and residents; and write approximately 30 “cards” for UpToDate, a widely used on-line information resource for physicians. I also serve on the editorial board of Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease, a highly cited journal that publishes reviews written by investigators studying disease pathogenesis.

The common theme across these activities is an abiding interest in advancing all aspects of the field of pathology, with an eye towards expanding our basic knowledge of disease and develop new diagnostic tools and targeted therapeutics. This interest not only stimulates my own research activities but also serves as a roadmap for my mentorship of the next generation of academic pathologists.