Dr. Steven Chan is a Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto. He earned his MD and PhD in Immunology from Stanford University, where he also completed clinical and postdoctoral training.

Dr. Chan’s research focuses on translating molecular insights into targeted therapies for hematologic malignancies. He uncovered the dependence of IDH-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells on BCL2, contributing to the clinical development and FDA approval of venetoclax. Building on this, he initiated a clinical trial to evaluate the synergistic effects of combining IDH and BCL2 inhibitors. His lab also discovered that NAMPT inhibitors selectively eliminate leukemia stem cells (the cells responsible for relapse) by disrupting lipid metabolism, offering a new therapeutic strategy to target AML at its root.

In the field of clonal hematopoiesis (CH), Dr. Chan identified DNMT3A-mutant hematopoietic stem cells as vulnerable to oxidative phosphorylation inhibition. He repurposed metformin, a widely available diabetes drug, to target CH, leading to an upcoming clinical trial and CIHR funding. His translational work has attracted collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies including Gilead, AbbVie, and Celgene.

For his many achievements Dr. Chan has received several recognitions, including the Canadian Hematology Society Early Researcher Award, the Leukemia Research Foundation New Investigator Award, and the American Society of Hematology Scholar Award.