August 06, 2020
Stefan Bossmann, PhD, has joined The University of Kansas Cancer Center as a member of the Drug Discovery, Delivery and Experimental Therapeutics research program and professor in the Department of Cancer Biology at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Dr. Bossmann was recruited from Kansas State University, where he held the title of University Distinguished Professor and led the Center of Excellence for Pancreatic Cancer Research, focusing on cancer detection, drug discovery and studies involving in-vivo techniques and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). While at Kansas State University, Dr. Bossmann collaborated regularly with cancer center scientists and clinicians.
“I have partnered with KU Cancer Center researchers since 2008,” Dr. Bossmann said. “I came to the cancer center to be closer to clinical practice and make a real impact on the treatment. I’m excited to work more with physicians and expand my endeavors beyond the laboratory. Cancer research is a team sport and I am looking forward to joining a winning team.”
Dr. Bossmann focuses his research on nanomaterials as they relate to imaging and drug delivery. Nanomaterials are biomaterials manufactured and used at a very small scale. When a cancer treatment is administered, it may have to cross several physiological barriers in the body before it is effectively delivered to the tumor site. One example of this is the blood-brain barrier, which tightly regulates which chemical substances go in and out of the brain. Using nano-imaging, Dr. Bossmann can provide a quantitative image of how the drug is delivered, distributed and then metabolized in the body. He also applies his nanomaterial expertise to the detection and quantification of micrometastases, which cannot be detected using standard imaging technology. About 90% of cancer deaths are because of cancer spread, or metastasis. Micrometastases are a small collection of cancer cells that has shed from the original tumor and spread to another part of the body. Eventually the cells grow to metastases.
“Dr. Bossmann is a longtime friend of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, and we are delighted he is joining our team,” said Roy Jensen, MD, director of the cancer center. “His expertise in chemical biology, diagnostic imaging, liquid biopsies and nanochemistry strengthens the cancer center’s research efforts. His skillset complements our team, and we are glad he has joined us in the quest to conquer cancer.”