Research Interest

Dr. Kauffman’s research work focuses on circulating tumor cell characterization in kidney and prostate cancer patients. His current project is supported by the NS-AUA Young Investigator Award and focuses on the clear cell type of renal cell carcinoma, which accounts for the vast majority of all kidney cancer diagnoses and deaths. It tests the hypothesis that these kidney cancer cells can be detected in the blood as circulating tumor cells, in patients whose kidney tumors otherwise have no suggestion of spread. Novel strategies underlying this project include the exploitation of multiple protein markers found only on cancer cells in order to differentiate cancer cells from healthy blood cells, as well as the use of high resolution imaging to visually confirm cells harboring these protein markers.

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