Jim P. Ropa, PhD

Bio

James (Jim) Ropa, PhD received his BS in biochemistry from the University of Notre Dame and earned his concurrent MS in Bioinformatics and PhD in Molecular and Cellular Pathology from the University of Michigan. He did his postdoctoral studies in experimental hematology under the mentorship of Drs. Hal Broxmeyer and Mark Kaplan at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He joined the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics at Indiana University School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor in 2024.

Jim’s research is focused on improving outcomes for patients with blood and immune disorders using basic and translational science approaches. Blood and immune disorders such as hematologic malignancies and immune deficiency syndromes affect millions of people worldwide and account for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year.

These disorders arise from mutations, deficiencies, or dysregulation of the hematopoietic system, often in the hematopoietic stem (HSC) and progenitor cell (HPC) compartment. Correction of this dysregulation through cellular therapies or via targeted manipulation of molecular programs are potential avenues of treatment for hematologic diseases. Thus, it is critical to understand the regulation of HSC/HPC function, how dysregulation causes disease, and how these mechanisms can be targeted for clinical utility. However, a comprehensive understanding of factors that regulate healthy and diseased HSC/HPC function is still being developed. 

Our research program studies intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect hematopoietic cell functional potency and how these processes can be targeted for improved treatment of hematologic disease. Our group has a specific interest in improving the potency of hematopoietic cells for use in hematopoietic cell therapies, including transplantation, gene editing, and immune effector cell therapies. Additionally, our group examines axes of regulation that are critical for both healthy and diseased cell growth and health, with a particular focus on the role of the regulatory serine protease Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) in disordered hematopoiesis and healthy hematopoietic cell functional potency. We employ combined data-driven and hypothesis driven approaches to gain a global understanding of molecular networks important for hematopoietic cell function and then flesh out mechanisms of regulation that will ultimately support patient-focused therapies. 

When he is not in the lab, Jim enjoys spending time with his family, coaching his kids’ soccer teams, distance running, and watching football.