Leonard Zon

Dr. Leonard Zon serves as the Grousbeck Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Stem Cell Research Program at Boston Children's Hospital. His laboratory pioneered the zebrafish model system for studying hematopoiesis, cancer biology, and stem cell regulation.

His research focuses on developmental hematopoiesis, blood stem cell formation, and genetic screens for oncogenic pathways. The Zon Lab has made significant contributions to genome sequencing efforts and identified key regulators of blood development including the cdx4-hox pathway. Current investigations include chemical screens to expand blood stem cells and suppress cancer mutations.

Dr. Zon's recent publications demonstrate continued innovation in stem cell engineering and cancer immunotherapy, particularly in developing enhanced CAR-T cell therapies through epigenetic modulation. His work frequently employs zebrafish models to study fundamental biological processes with translational applications.