Timothy Ley, M.D.,  The Genome Institute

Dr. Ley is a hematologist, oncologist and cancer biologist. He is an internationally known expert in the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and other blood-related disorders. Dr. Ley’s research group was one of the first to focus on the reference sequence of the human genome to systematically identify the mutations responsible for the initiation and progression of cancer, focusing primarily on AML. To better understand the role of these mutations, Dr. Ley and his colleagues have constructed several mouse models of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). These mice have many features of the human disease, and have been valuable for understanding the genetic pathways altered in this disease. In addition, Dr. Ley’s laboratory has long been interested in the tools and methods needed to correct single gene defects. They currently are using both genetic approaches and expression profiling to identify the homologous recombination “signature” to improve the efficiency of this process in both embryonic and hematopoietic stem cells.

Dr. Ley is the Lewis T. and Rosalind B. Apple Professor of Oncology in the Department of Medicine, and is chief of the Section of Stem Cell Biology in the Division of Oncology. He is also Director of the Embryonic Stem Cell Core at the Siteman Cancer Center, and Professor of Genetics. Dr. Ley received his B.A. degree from Drake University in 1974, and his M.D. from Washington University School of Medicine in 1978. He did his internship and residency in Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, was a Clinical Associate at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a Hematology-Oncology Fellow at Washington University Medical Center, and a Senior Investigator at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute before moving to Washington University in 1986.

An extensive list of Dr. Ley's publications is available through the Washington University Divisions of Hematology and Oncology.

Publications