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Coraline Mlynarczyk, PhD

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Assistant Professor of Medicine (Hematology)
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Assistant Professor of Medicine (Hematology)

Biography

Coraline Mlynarczyk, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in Hematology and a member of the Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology (CMCO) at the Yale Cancer Center. Her lab studies the immunology and metabolism of germinal center-derived B cell lymphomas.

Dr. Mlynarczyk obtained her PhD in Hematology and Oncology (Paris Diderot University & Saint Louis Hospital, France), where she studied how the p53 tumor suppressor pathway diversifies in response to cellular stresses and identified endoplasmic reticulum stress as a condition that can be manipulated to increase cancer cells sensitivity to chemotherapy. During her postdoctoral studies (Weill Cornell Medicine, NY, lab of Dr. Ari Melnick), she further developed her interest in understanding malignant transformation and treatment failure in the context of B cell lymphomas. Diving into the immunology field, she discovered that aberrant competitive fitness gain in germinal center B cells represents a novel mechanism for their malignant transformation, yielding aggressive and disseminated B cell lymphomas in mice and humans. She received support from the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF), Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and American Association of Hematology (ASH) for her research and was promoted to Instructor of Cancer Immunology in Medicine (Weill Cornell Medicine, NY).

Dr Mlynarczyk launched her lab at Yale in July 2024. Combining elegant multi-allelic mouse models, patient-derived models and primary samples with precise immunological approaches and metabolic flux analyses, her research aims to provide a better mechanistic and biological understanding of germinal center-derived B cell malignancies, to help identify previously unexplored vulnerabilities of clinically unfavorable B cell lymphomas.

Appointments

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

Instructor of Cancer Immunology
Weill Cornell Medicine
Post-doctoral Associate
Weill Cornell Medicine
PhD
University Paris Diderot, Hematology and Oncology
MS
University Pierre and Marie Curie, Molecular and Cellular Biology
MS
Stockholm University, Biology-Health
BS
University of Burgundy, Cellular Biology and Physiology

Research

Overview

Cancer cells hijack a variety of normal biological functions to grow and survive. Our research explores this topic in the context of mature B cell malignancies, which are highly heterogeneous. These cancers originate from B cells having experienced the germinal center reaction as part of the adaptive immune response, where they must survive an intense competitive selection process.

Our lab focuses on Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common and aggressive B cell malignancy, of which 40% cases relapse or are refractory to treatment. A major challenge in the field has been to gain a mechanistic understanding of how incurable forms develop and what makes them treatment-resistant.

We discovered that aberrant competitive fitness in germinal center B cells represents a novel mechanism of malignant transformation, yielding aggressive and disseminated lymphomas that recapitulate relapsed/refractory human DLBCLs. We are now investigating how cell-cell communication signals, metabolic fitness gain and biochemical adaptation function as key determinants of germinal center B cell competitiveness and aggressive transformation. Questions we are asking include:

1. Which extracellular signals provide competitive fitness to B cells and drive dissemination of malignant B cells outside of their lymphoid niche, including at immune-privileged sites?

2. How do competitive B cells and derived lymphomas satisfy their metabolic needs to sustain intense growth and proliferation?

3. Which biochemical mechanisms underly elevated biosynthetic potential in competitive B cells and aggressive lymphomas?

Our research program will provide knowledge about essential processes that support successful immune responses and a mechanistic understanding of clinically unfavorable DLBCLs from several major biological angles. This will allow identifying new dependencies that can be harnessed to design novel rational therapies for DLBCL patients.

We are dedicated to characterizing the delicate evolutionary trade-off between defending vertebrate organisms from infections and the risk of developing cancer and we expect our findings to be applicable to additional cell types, where superior competitiveness for growth signals and metabolic resources can drive expansion of abnormally fit cells at a high-risk of transformation.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

B-Lymphocytes; Cell Competition; Cytokines; Germinal Center; Immune System; Lymphoma, B-Cell; Metabolism; Mitochondria; Translational Research, Biomedical; Tumor Microenvironment

Research at a Glance

Research Interests

Research topics Coraline Mlynarczyk is interested in exploring.

Publications

Featured Publications

2024

2022

2018

2010

Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

  • honor

    Lymphoma Scientific Research Mentoring Program (LSRMP) Scholar Award, Translational Track

  • honor

    Fellow to Faculty Scholar Award in basic/translational research

  • honor

    Research Restart Award for Early Career Investigators in Hematology

  • honor

    Special Fellow Award

  • honor

    Post-doctoral Fellowship

Get In Touch

Contacts

Locations

  • 300 George Street

    Academic Office

    Fl 6th, Ste 6400, Rm 6413

    New Haven, CT 06511