Dr. Stephen Blacklow

Biography

Stephen Blacklow, Ph.D., M.D., is the Gustavus Adolphus Pfeiffer Professor and Chair of the Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Harvard Medical School. His research primarily focuses on understanding the fundamental mechanisms of signal transduction at the structural and molecular level, particularly in relation to the Notch signaling pathway. The Notch pathway, which relies on cell-cell contact to transmit signals, plays a crucial role in influencing a wide spectrum of cell fate decisions during the development of adult organisms. Disruption of Notch signaling has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various human cancers. Dr. Blacklow's laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms that govern Notch signal activation and its implications in normal and cancer contexts. His work has elucidated key molecular events that occur during Notch signal transduction, revealing how this conserved communication system influences developmental decisions in metazoan organisms and is hijacked in human leukemia. He received his MD and PhD degrees from Harvard University in 1991 and is a member of the Department of Cancer Biology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Blacklow has also directed the MD-PhD Program in Basic and Translational Sciences at Harvard and has contributed to several advisory committees across major research institutions.

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