Stanford University · PharmacologyChemical Biology and Tumor Dynamics Lab
James K Chen · Stanford, California
Research Focus
Dr. James K. Chen's lab at Stanford University is focused on combining chemistry with developmental biology to understand how tissues form and how this relates to cancer. The lab develops innovative chemical tools, such as optogenetic systems and small-molecule inhibitors, to explore mechanisms behind cell differentiation and oncogenesis. By creating new experimental platforms, they aim to study important signaling pathways in development and cancer, ultimately seeking to contribute to new therapies for human diseases.
optogeneticstumor biologycancer therapydevelopmental biologysmall-molecule inhibitorssignal pathwaysstem cellschemical tools
Research Aims
5AIM 01Develop optogenetic tools that use inducible allostery to study developmental signaling pathways.
AIM 02Create small-molecule inhibitors of aldehyde dehydrogenase isoforms to investigate their roles in cancer.
AIM 03Explore the regulatory mechanisms of glioma-related genes in neural development.
AIM 04Utilize zebrafish models to analyze Hedgehog pathway-dependent patterning.
AIM 05Investigate the potential of ALDH inhibitors as non-hormonal male contraceptive agents.
Skills the Lab Values
optogenetic techniquessmall-molecule screeningcell culturehigh-throughput sequencingzebrafish modelingprotein engineeringtransposon-based platformsmolecular cloning
Output against the department
Publications371top 18% of dept.82nd of 462
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations19ktop 19% of dept.88th of 462
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.