Dr. Stephan’s laboratory in the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center works at the interface of materials science and immunology, designing synthetic materials that can be used as components of novel cancer immunotherapies. Because certain cells of our immune system can selectively destroy cancerous cells without damaging healthy tissue, engineering approaches grounded in immunology may hold the key to the discovery and development of safe and effective new cancer treatments. To this end, his group takes a materials science–centric engineering approach to create new therapies based in the controlled modulation of the immune system. During his postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Stephan acquired first-hand skills in synthesizing and employing synthetic materials as a powerful approach to manipulate the function of immune cells. This skillset, coupled with his PhD training in tumor immunology at Cornell University, allows him to design unconventional bioengineering approaches for safe and effective cancer immunotherapy.
His research efforts are currently focused on (1) the development of an implantable device to eradicate tumor left behind after surgery, and (2) the design of novel polymeric nanoparticles that can rapidly program tumor-recognizing capabilities into lymphocytes in vivo.