Ken Lau

Ken Lau is a Professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and the Department of Surgery at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He leads the Lau Lab, which focuses on understanding epithelial tissue function and organization using systems biology and single-cell technologies. His lab is based in the Medical Research Building IV at 2215 Garland Avenue, Nashville, TN.

• Ph.D. in Bioinformatics and Proteomics, University of Toronto (2008)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, MIT/Massachusetts General Hospital
• Established Lau Lab at Vanderbilt in 2013

Dr. Lau's research centers on the intestinal epithelium and how inflammatory microenvironments influence epithelial cell behavior, fate decisions, and plasticity. His lab integrates high-content experimental techniques such as single-cell RNA-seq, multiplex imaging (MxIF), and DISSECT-CyTOF with computational and machine learning approaches to generate systems-level insights into gut biology. The lab uses mouse and human models, organoids, and clinical specimens to study diseases like Inflammatory Bowel Disease and colorectal cancer. Key interests include niche signaling, cell differentiation, metaplasia, and cancer stem cell dynamics.

The recent publications from the Lau Lab demonstrate a strong trend in spatial and single-cell multiomics, focusing on colorectal cancer progression, cellular plasticity, and microenvironmental interactions. These works employ advanced computational modeling and machine learning to extract biological insights from complex datasets, indicating a deep integration of data science and experimental biology.

Scientific awards and recognitions are primarily reflected through the fellowships and honors received by his trainees, including:

• F31DK127687 (Paige Spencer)
• VICC Graduate Student of the Year (Mirazul Islam)
• F31GM143909 (Dora Obodo)
• Lai Sulin Scholarship (Cody Heiser)
• T32LM012412 (Bob Chen)
• T32AI007281 (Cherie’ Scurrah)
• T32AI138932 (Amrita Banerjee)
• F31GM120940 (Charles Herring)
• U2CCA233291S1 (Andrea Rolong)

Dr. Lau has mentored a large number of students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom have gone on to postdoctoral positions at institutions like MIT, Harvard, and St. Jude’s, or to industry roles at Regeneron, Genentech, and GSK. His lab actively develops both experimental and computational methodologies, and he emphasizes vertical integration of technology development, algorithm design, and biological discovery. The Lau Lab fosters a collaborative environment with regular retreats and team-building activities, and it maintains a strong presence in both basic and translational research.

The Lau Lab is a key contributor to the Vanderbilt Epithelial Biology Center, utilizing cutting-edge single-cell and spatial profiling tools to investigate epithelial biology in health and disease. The team combines molecular biology, imaging, and data science to build comprehensive models of tissue architecture and function. Current research includes lineage tracing of quiescent stem cells, microbial interactions in inflammation, and BRAF mutation effects on stemness.