Christoph Schaniel

Christoph Schaniel, PhD is an Assistant Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai with dual appointments in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology and the Department of Cell, Developmental & Regenerative Biology. His primary research focus is on stem cell biology with particular emphasis on understanding the mechanisms of normal and disease pathology, especially in hematological malignancies.

Dr. Schaniel received his MS from the University of Basel, followed by a PhD from the Basel Institute for Immunology/University of Basel, and completed his postdoctoral training at Princeton University. His educational background has provided a strong foundation for his current research in stem cell biology and hematopoiesis.

As a stem cell biologist, Schaniel's research centers on understanding the mechanisms regulating stem cell function in health and disease with the goal of developing novel therapeutic strategies. His laboratory investigates HSC (hematopoietic stem cell) development, fate decisions, expansion, and their application in cell and gene therapy. A major focus involves exploring methods to expand human HSCs ex vivo without losing their functional properties, particularly using valproic acid, which is currently being evaluated in a clinical phase I trial (NCT03885947). His work also encompasses reprogramming somatic cells into functional hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, developing hematopoietic reprogramming technology into clinical products for blood disorders, and studying ex vivo HSC expansion for gene therapy purposes.

Analysis of Dr. Schaniel's recent publications reveals a strong focus on myeloproliferative neoplasms, stem cell reprogramming, and translational applications. His work spans multiple disciplines including hematology, oncology, stem cell biology, and genomics, with particular emphasis on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying blood disorders and developing targeted therapeutic approaches. Recent publications show increasing sophistication in multi-omics approaches to understand disease mechanisms at the cellular and molecular level.

Dr. Schaniel collaborates extensively with clinical researchers, most notably with Dr. Ronald Hoffman, to bridge basic science discoveries with clinical applications. His laboratory actively participates in translational research aimed at bringing stem cell-based therapies to the bedside, including the development of protocols for ex vivo HSC expansion and cryopreservation while maintaining transplantation functionality.

The Schaniel Lab maintains active research programs in hematopoietic stem cell biology, cellular reprogramming, and disease modeling using patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells. The laboratory employs a multidisciplinary approach that integrates molecular biology, genomics, and stem cell technologies to address fundamental questions in hematopoiesis and to develop novel therapeutic strategies for blood disorders.