Current Projects

Health Studies

Drexel University

• Conducting a study to look for risk factors for MPNs in part of northeast Pennsylvania.

Geisinger Health System

• Learning more about how often people with a mutation in the JAK2 gene get MPNs
• Looking at how MPN patients are diagnosed and treated.
• Learning more about how common JAK2 mutations are in people living in northeast Pennsylvania

Mt. Sinai School of Medicine

• Looking at whether there are genetic differences between PV patients living in a Pennsylvania tri-county area and patients living in other areas.
• Developing a test to find out how some chemicals might affect cells.  This may lead to clues about whether there is a relationship between PV and exposure to these chemicals. 

University of Pittsburgh

• School of Public Health is conducting a study to learn more about the number of MPN cases reported.
• Cancer Institute is studying a four-county area in Pennsylvania to learn more about how many residents have MPNs.

Environmental Studies

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is gathering more information about the environment where a PV cluster was identified by

• Sampling drinking water, dust, and soil at the homes of study participants.
• Testing water and sediment from McAdoo Superfund Site.
• Sampling water from area cogeneration plants.