Dr. James Zehnder is the director of the coagulation laboratory, co-director of the molecular diagnosis laboratories, medical director of the anticoagulation clinic, attending physician in the thrombosis and bleeding disorders clinic, and associate director of the transfusion service.

The Zehnder laboratory focuses on translational research in 2 main areas - genomic approaches to diagnosis and minimal residual disease testing for patients with cancer, and molecular basis of disorders of thrombosis and hemostasis. Dr. Zehnder's clinical focus is in molecular pathology, diagnosis and treatment of disorders of hemostasis and thrombosis and general hematology.

Active projects include:

1. Translating advances in genomics for patient care. Currently we are using next generation sequencing approaches to characterize the clonal population in T or B cell cancers, how these cells reconstitute following transplantation, and their role in disease progression and complications such as graft-versus-host disease.
2. Using traditional and next generation genomic approaches to characterize the molecular basis of myeloproliferative neoplasms.
3. Molecular basis of pediatric immune thrombocytopenia - underlying etiology, what differentiates the 80% who spontaneously remit form those who develop chronic disease, identification of molecular biomarkers predicting response to thrombopoietin agonists.
4. Whole genome studies of families with interesting pedigrees - inherited thrombocytopenia, thrombosis following exposure to oral contraceptives.