Shen Heazlewood was awarded her PhD from the University of Queensland in 2011. Dr Heazlewood is currently working as a Research Scientist within the CSIRO Manufacturing Flagship, where she continues to elucidate the important cellular components, molecules and interactions within the haemopoietic stem cell (bone marrow) niche. During this conference, Dr Heazlewood will be presenting her most recent work titled “Megakaryocytes release factors that thrombin cleave osteopontin, allowing for the negative regulation of haemopoietic stem cells”.