Dr. Olsen is investigating new therapeutic options to treat acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive form of childhood cancer. One subtype of AML is characterized by a chromosomal translocation involving the MLL (KMT2A) and the AF9 gene, resulting in an abnormal MLL-AF9 fusion protein. Dr. Olsen is targeting the MLL-AF9 fusion protein using a newly developed protein degradation approach. Characterizing the consequences of direct MLL-AF9 degradation will provide important mechanistic insight into how this mutant protein modulates leukemia and help guide the development of combination therapeutic approaches for long-term responses in pediatric AML patients.