Dr. Yali Dou

Biography

Yali Dou is a Professor of Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) and holds the Marion Harry Keiper Chair in Cancer Research. He is the Co-Director of the Ph.D. Program in Molecular Medicine and the Co-Director of the USC Norris Brown Center for Cancer Drug Development. Dou's research focuses on the epigenetic mechanisms that govern cell fate decisions, particularly through the actions of transcription factors and their interactions with chromatin modifications. His laboratory utilizes multidisciplinary approaches to study gene regulatory networks, aiming to uncover the roles of enzymes that modify histones and their implications in cancer and developmental syndromes. He has received numerous prestigious awards for his contributions to cancer research, including the AACR Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award and the AAAS Fellow designation in 2025. Dou’s interest in the MLL/KMT2 family of histone methyltransferases exemplifies his commitment to advancing the understanding of epigenetic modulators in disease development and creating innovative therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment and regenerative medicine.

Research Interests

Awards