PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Candidate. My Ph.D. thesis, under the direction of Dr. Alisa Wolberg (Associate Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), entailed the application of cellular and molecular biology, confocal microscopy, biochemistry, and murine models of thrombosis to identify the role of elevated plasma coagulation factor levels (hypercoagulability) in the pathophysiology of thrombotic disorders. My post-doctoral research in Dr. Joseph Italiano’s laboratory (Associate Professor, Harvard University), has added to my repertoire a number of specialized cell biology techniques including fluorescence, high-content, and electron microscopy, live cell imaging, retroviral infection, cell culture of primary megakaryocytes, and transgenic mouse models to study megakaryocyte maturation and platelet production. These projects have provided me with the necessary expertise to meet my career goals by familiarizing me with cell biological processes and signaling pathways that orchestrate hematopoietic stem cell differentiation and megakaryocyte maturation. Environment. Dr. Italiano’s laboratory has offered unequalled access to an extensive network of exceptionally talented megakaryocyte and platelet researchers whose input and experience have helped guide my research and allowed me to markedly expand my arsenal of analytical, management, writing, and oratory skills. Dr. Italiano has also made available to me a range of highly specialized equipment, armed me with a number of molecular biology techniques that are complementary to my research goals, and provided me with dedicated mentorship that has enabled me to become an accomplished megakaryocyte biologist and microscopist. The opportunity to train at an institute that is world-renowned for its megakaryocyte research has allowed me to establish meaningful collaborative relationships with experts worldwide. My joint appointment at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital has afforded me access to a multitude of courses, internal training programs, departmental seminars, and career development and educational programs that have made me a better scientist and supported my career trajectory toward independent investigator. Research. My interests lay in investigating the mechanisms of megakaryocyte differentiation for the purpose of understanding how and why platelets are made, and ultimately developing targeted therapies to enhance or repress megakaryocyte differentiation and maturation. The ability to control megakaryocyte maturation in vivo will result in the ability to regulate platelet count in thrombocytopenia and thrombocytosis. My short-term goal is to investigate the role of the cytokine CCL5 and its receptor CCR5 in hematopoiesis and megakaryocyte maturation, for which a research plan comprising three specific aims is proposed. I hypothesize that in times of inflammation, the cytokine CCL5 signals through its receptor, CCR5. This may work to 1) increase the number of h...