Dr. Tong recently discovered a novel gene called “LNK” that regulates bone marrow cell survival and growth. She found that loss of LNK in a mouse model of FA restores normal bone marrow functions and increases stem cell longevity. This new grant will allow Dr. Tong to explore the mechanisms underlying this important discovery and to develop new strategies to inhibit LNK to improve bone marrow function in Fanconi anemia. This work will also advance efforts to correct Fanconi mutations by gene therapy.