Stella T. Chou, MD

• Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia

Dr. Chou's research laboratory focuses on regenerative blood cellular therapy, the mechanisms of normal human hematopoietic development, and how these become disrupted in hematologic diseases. Her NIH-funded laboratory uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and primary human cells to both model blood diseases and create customized iPSCs with rare blood group antigen combinations as renewable sources of red cells. Translational work from her lab has been at the forefront of integrating molecular technologies into clinical transfusion medicine practice and developing novel tools to improve red cell therapy, particularly for individuals with sickle cell disease.

One focus of the Chou laboratory is to investigate mechanisms of hematopoietic development and to understand the role of genetic modifiers in pediatric hematologic diseases, with a particular interest in Down syndrome associated blood abnormalities. Her lab uses iPSCs and primary samples from patients with blood diseases to model key features of these disorders and to study the underlying pathophysiology. Projects include understanding the role of Trisomy 21, GATA1, and other mutations in anemia, thrombocytopenia, myeloproliferative disorders, and pediatric leukemias.