Ying Li, MD, PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Director of Hematopathology
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Dept. of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine |
Currently Involved In:
My research interest is to
use flow cytometric analysis to identify potential low-grade stem
cell disorders. Hematopathologic diagnosis of the low-grade stem
cell disorders (myelodysplastic syndrome and/or myeloproliferative
disorders) is still a challenging process in clinical practice
in that the diagnosis is based clinical history and certain morphologic
features, which is non-specific and may not present in many of
the stem cell disorders. Although results of cytogenetics studies
become the diagnostic gold standard in clinical practice, there
is no specific genetic defects yet discovered for majority of the
low-grade stem cell disorders. Because these diseases are clonal
processes of the stem cells, clonal-related surface antigen alternations
may be observed on these abnormal cells by flow cytometric analysis.
We are using flow cytometric analysis to study the developmental-related
expression of myeloid, erythroid and megakaryocytic markers on
immature marrow precursor cells during their maturation so that
we are able to differentiate the abnormal maturational processes
(in stem cell disorders) from their normal counterparts.