Professor of Medicine
Edythe Harris Lucas and Clara Lucas Lynn Chair in Hematology
Associate Director for Basic Research

Dr. Cheng is a research faculty and will not see patients directly.                  

Clinical/Academic Interests         

Human stem cell biology and engineering; Hematopoiesis (blood-forming); Blood disease modeling and treatment studies.

Research Interests

Dr. Cheng serves as the Associate Director for Basic Research in the Hematology Division.  Dr. Linzhao Cheng is a founding member of Stem Cell Program in the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering (ICE).  He is also a faculty member of the Graduate Training Programs in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Human Genetics and Molecular Biology and Immunology, and several postdoctoral fellow training programs. 

After receiving a PhD degree in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Hopkins in 1991, Dr. Cheng has been working on stem cell research in NIH, the biotech industry and academia.  He has extensive experience in several types of stem cells including human hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), mesenchymal stem cells/marrow stromal cells (MSC), embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.   In 2003 and nominated by NIH, Dr. Cheng received the USA Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, "for outstanding accomplishments in the field of stem cell research including pioneering research that is advancing our knowledge of human embryonic stem cell self-renewal and differentiation of blood cells".  This Presidential Award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their independent careers.  Dr. Cheng is a member of the International affairs Committee for the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR).  He also serves in Editorial Boards of professional journals such as Stem Cells, Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell Reviews and Reports, and Cell Research.

Dr. Cheng’s main laboratory is working on human stem cell biology and engineering, and their applications in regenerative medicine for curing blood diseases.  One of objectives is to understand genetic and epigenetic regulation of cell fate determination in hematopoiesis.  His group currently focuses on using human pluripotent stem such as iPS cells from healthy donors and patients, including those with targeted or corrected mutations, to investigate human stem cell biology and diseases.  More details are available on his lab website www.stemcelllab.org

Education/Training

• BS, Molecular Biology, University of Science and Technology of China
  
• PhD, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine                    
  
• Postdoctoral research at ABL-Basic Research Program, NCI-Frederick Cancer Research & Development Center
  
• Research Scientist II and Group Leader, Stem Cell Biology/Gene Delivery Group, SyStemix, Inc.
  
• Senior Research Scientist and Manager for Molecular Stem Cell Biology and Stromal Biology Groups, Gryphon/Osiris Therapeutics, Inc.

Academic Positions

• Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
  
• Edythe Harris Lucas and Clara Lucas Lynn Chair in Hematology
  
• Secondary appointments in Oncology and Gyn/Ob
  
• Associate Director for Basic Research, Division of Hematology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Selected Publications  

1. Yu X, Zou J, Ye Z, Hammond HH, Chen G, Tokunaga A, Mali P, Li YM, Civin CI, Gaiano N, Cheng L (2008). Notch signaling activation in human embryonic stem cells is required for embryonic but not trophoblastic lineage commitment. Cell Stem Cell, 2(5): 461-471. PMID: 18462696.
   
2. Mali P, Ye Z, Hammond H, Yu X, Lin J, Chen G, Zou J, Cheng L (2008). Improved efficiency and pace of generating induced pluripotent stem cells from human adult and fetal fibroblasts Stem Cells, 26(8): 1998-2005. PMID: 18511599.
   
3. Wu Z, Zhang W, Chen G, Cheng L, Liao J, Jia N, Gao Y, Dai H, Yuan J, Cheng L, Xiao L (2008). Combinatorial signals of activin/nodal and bone morphogenic protein regulate the early lineage segregation of human embryonic stem cells. J Biol Chem. 283: 24991. PMID: 18596037.
   
4. Hillion J, Dhara S, Sumter T, Mukherjee M, Di Cello F, Belton A, Turkson J, Jaganathan S, Cheng L, Ye Z, Jove R, Aplan P, Lin Y-W, Wertzler K, Reeves R, Elbahlouh O, Kowalski J, Bhattacharya R, Resar L (2008). The HMGA1a-STAT3 axis: an "Achilles heel" for hematopoietic malignancies? Cancer Research, 68(24):10121. PMID: 19074878.
   
5. Hwang NS, Varghese S, Lee HJ, Zhang Z, Bae J, Ye Z, Cheng L, Elisseeff J (2008).  In Vivo Commitment and Functional Tissue Regeneration Using Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Mesenchymal Cells. PNAS, 105(52):20641-6. PMID: 19095799.
   
6. Savage WJ, Barber JP, Mukhina GL, Hu R, Chen G, Matsui W, Thoburn C, Hess AD, Cheng L, Jones RJ, and Brodsky RA (2009).  Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored Protein Deficiency Confers Resistance to Apoptosis in PNH. Experimental Hematology, 37(1):42-51. PMID: 19013003.
   
7. Pomper MG, Hammond HH, Yu X, Ye Z, Foss CA, Lin DD, Fox JJ, Cheng L (2009). Serial Imaging of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Engraftment and Teratoma Formation in Live Mouse Models. Cell Res. 19(3):370-9. PMID: 19114988.
   
8. Wang YL and Cheng L (2009). Regulation of primate trophoblast lineage differentiation -- Insights learned from human embryonic stem cells.  Reproductive Biology Insight, accepted.
   
9. Zou J, Maeder ML, Mali P, Pruett-Miller SM, Thibodeau-Beganny S, Chou BK, Chen G, Ye Z, Park IH, Daley GQ, Porteus MH, Joung JK, Cheng L (2009). Gene targeting of a disease-related gene in human induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic stem cells. Cell Stem Cell. 5(1):97-110. PMID: 19540188.
   
10. Cheng L (2009). DNA transposons for stem cells. Blood, 114(7):1285-1286. (Commentary).
    
11. Ye Z, Zhan H, Mali P, Dowey S, Jang Y-Y, Dang CV, Spivak JL, Moliterno AR, and Cheng L (2009). Human induced pluripotent stem cells from blood cells of healthy donors and patients with acquired blood disorders. Blood, 14: 5473-5480.
    
12. Mali P, Chou, BK, Ye Z, Zou J, Yen J, Dowey S, Brodsky RA, Ohm JE, Yu, W, Baylin SB, Kosuke Y, Bradley A, Meyers DJ, Mukherjee C, Cole PA, Cheng L.  A nutritional supplement greatly enhances derivation of human induced pluripotent stem by promoting epigenetic remodeling and the expression of pluripotency-associated genes.  Stem Cells.  March 2010 online; class="src" 28(4): 713-720.
    
13. Jang YY, Ye Z and Cheng L (2010). Molecular imaging and stem cell research.  Molecular Imaging, in press (Review).
    
14. Kerr CL and Cheng L (2010). Multiple, inter-convertible state of human pluripotent stem cells.  Cell Stem Cell, class="src"6(6):497-9 (Commentary).
    
15. Ye Z and Cheng L (2010). Potential of human iPS cells derived from blood and other postnatal cell types.  Regenerative Medicine, in press (Review).