Matt Hangauer, PhD

Dr. Matt Hangauer is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology and Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego. Dr. Hangauer is a basic scientist focused on understanding how cancer cells survive treatment and seed tumor relapse. Specifically, Dr. Hangauer studies cancer “persister” cells, a subpopulation of cancer cells present in all tumor types, which reversibly enter into a dormant pro-survival state not dependent on genetic mutations. The DOD Melanoma Academy Scholar Award will enable Dr. Hangauer to characterize newly discovered melanoma persister cells which survive immunotherapy with a focus on how these cells adapt to immune stress and seed tumor immune escape.