Kyle M. Loh: A developmental roadmap for human pluripotent stem cell differentiation

Dr. Kyle M. Loh is Associate Professor of Developmental Biology and a DiGenova Faculty Scholar at Stanford University. He received his PhD in Developmental Biology from Stanford University, where he trained in the laboratory of Irving Weissman. His research explores how diverse human cell types arise from pluripotent stem cells, with the goal of advancing developmental biology, regenerative medicine, and disease modeling. 

Dr. Loh is known for pioneering stem cell-based models that reconstruct human developmental pathways in vitro, including the formation of blood vessels, blood, liver, and neural tissues. His work combines developmental biology, stem cell engineering, and genomics to uncover how human cell fates are specified and how these processes can be harnessed for biomedical applications. His laboratory has also used stem cell-derived vascular systems to study how highly pathogenic viruses such as Nipah, Hendra, Ebola, and Lassa viruses infect human tissues.

His contributions have been recognized with honors including the 2026 ISSCR Early Career Impact Award, the NIH Director’s Early Independence Award, the Packard Fellowship, and the Pew Biomedical Scholarship. At BIMSB, Dr. Loh will present his lecture, “A developmental roadmap for human pluripotent stem cell differentiation,” highlighting new insights into the developmental logic that governs human cell fate and tissue formation.