The Neubauer Group have published a new letter article in the April 2026 issue of the Hematology journal Hemasphere. In this work, they developed oncogenic STAT5B–driven γδ T‑cell lymphoma cell lines and an allograft mouse model that recapitulate key features of hepatosplenic T‑cell lymphoma (HSTL). Using these models and primary patient samples, they found that JAK inhibition — particularly the JAK1/2/3 inhibitor upadacitinib — potently suppresses tumor growth, reduces disease burden in vivo, and selectively kills STAT5B‑mutant HSTL cells at nanomolar doses. In contrast, ruxolitinib showed limited activity, underscoring meaningful differences among JAK inhibitors. The study supports biomarker‑guided clinical testing of upadacitinib in HSTL, with STAT5B mutation and STAT5 activity as candidate predictors of response. Congratulations to all authors! 

Read the article: 
Aung et al., (2026) Hemasphere, “Preclinical models of hepatosplenic γδ T-cell lymphoma with an activating STAT5B mutation display sensitivity to JAK inhibitor upadacitinib”. 
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hem3.70345

Wonderful news for the Grebien lab! A consortium, formed together with the Seruggia and Tomazou labs at St. Anna CCRI, and the Falk, Hein, and Karagöz labs at Max Perutz Labs with the Karagöz lab serving as consortium coordinator has been awarded one of the prestigious Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Emerging Fields Grants. The grant will provide nearly 6 million EUR to support ambitious research projects aimed at deciphering the underexplored role of ribosomes in gene regulation in pediatric cancers. We are thrilled to be part of this exciting collaborative effort and look forward to the discoveries ahead!

The Grebien lab are happy to announce their recent publication in Cell Reports, entitled “Harnessing the E3 ligase SPOP for targeted degradation of the NUP98::KDM5A fusion oncoprotein.”. Using CRISPR-Cas9 screening, the team identified the E3 ligase SPOP as a key regulator and tumor suppressor controlling NUP98 fusion protein stability. By developing a SPOP-based bioPROTAC, they were able to induce degradation of the leukemia-driving NUP98::KDM5A fusion oncoprotein, triggering myeloid differentiation, apoptosis, reduced leukemia burden, and prolonged survival in vivo. This work provides an exciting proof of concept for targeting difficult-to-drug fusion oncoproteins through induced protein degradation. Congratulations to all authors!

Read the article:
Kirkiz et al., (2025) Cell Reports, “Harnessing the E3 ligase SPOP for targeted degradation of the NUP98::KDM5A fusion oncoprotein”.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116602

Elisa Manieri was awarded an FWF Principal Investigator Project (PAT2400225), “Mechanisms and regulators of cancer-associated fibroblasts” to investigate the activation of the tumor microenvironment during colorectal cancer development. The grant will support the lab for 3 years (2026-2029).

PhD student Myint Myat Khine Aung from the Neubauer Group was awarded an EHA-JSH Travel Grant to attend the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Hematology, held in October 2025 in Kobe, Japan. She was also selected to give an oral presentation at the meeting about her work on developing preclinical models and identifying novel targeted therapies for rare, aggressive T-cell cancer.

Elisa Manieri was awarded a Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft – Clinical Research Group, “Rational and Personalized Targeting of Chemotherapy Resistance in Gastrointestinal Cancer”, as part of a consortium with groups at the Medical University of Vienna. The scientific networkaims to understand the “bystanders” of cancer to enable more personalized treatment options. The grant will fund the consortium for four years (2026-2030).

Elisa Manieri received a grant from the Fellinger Krebsforschung Foundation, “Origin and molecular mechanism of cancer- associated fibroblasts onset”, to uncover the mechanisms driving the onset of cancer-associated fibroblasts. This grant will enable the group to perform key experiments to define the contribution of the tumor microenvironment in the early stages of cancer formation (2025-2026).

Heidi Neubauer was awarded a European Hematology Association (EHA) Advanced Research Grant to further the group’s work on understanding mechanisms governing sex biases in hematopoiesis. The grant will fund the lab’s research into this topic for three years (2025-2028). The award was presented at the 2025 EHA Congress in Milan, Italy.