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Xiao Chen, MD, PhD
Xiao Chen Headshot

Xiao Chen, MD, PhD

Associate Professor

Locations

  • Medical College of Wisconsin
    Department of Medicine
    Division of Hematology and Oncology

Biography

Dr. Xiao Chen is Associate Professor of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Division of Hematology and Oncology. He obtained his medical degree from Fujian Medical University in China and PhD degree in immunology from the Technical University of Dresden in Germany.

Research Interests

Dr. Chen has a longstanding commitment to research in hematology and immunology with a particular interest and expertise in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a potentially life-saving treatment for many serious diseases including hematologic malignancies. Each year, thousands of patients diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma will depend on a stem cell transplant for a second chance at life. Unfortunately, GVHD remains a serious and frequently fatal complication following allogeneic HSCT. The long-term research goal of the Chen lab is to develop clinically relevant strategies to prevent or mitigate GVHD, making allogeneic HSCT a safer treatment for cancer patients. A major theme of Dr. Chen’s research program is to define the potential role of dietary and nutritional factors in the pathogenesis and management of GVHD. Specifically, the lab has been investigating how vitamins A and D as well as prebiotics modulate GVHD risk. Since diet is one of the most important factors that shape gut microbiota, recent research in the lab has focused on how nutritional factors influence GVHD by modulating gut microbiota. The lab is using genetic, nutritional, and immunological approaches in combination with next-generation sequencing techniques to study the complex interplay between nutrients, gut microbiota, and mucosal immune responses during GVHD. The potential use of nutritional interventions to correct gut dysbiosis and mitigate GVHD is being explored. Dr. Chen also has a strong interest in tumor immunology and cellular immunotherapy.

Publications