glioblastoma cells under a microscope

The Department of BioEngineering integrates the disciplines of engineering and cancer biology and collaborates with other departments in the Division of Basic Science to accelerate the discovery of cancer pathways and therapy.

Led by Chair Gregory Sawyer, PhD, bioengineering is a transdisciplinary approach that links the physical sciences, engineering, mathematics and simulation, with pharmacology, oncology, gene therapy and biomedicine, all with a focus on cancer.

The Department of BioEngineering focuses on:

Developing efficient manufacturing approaches for cell therapy via soft modules
Engineering methodologies for precision patient avatars of primary and metastatic tumors
Using biomaterials and cell-engineering to reduce toxicity and improve targeted drug delivery
Supporting the development of novel therapies for undruggable targets
Establishing highly-multiplexed imaging of tumors

As bioengineers, we want to accelerate cancer discovery by studying cancer outside the body so that we can examine it and find ways to stop it.

Gregory Sawyer, PhD

Chair, Department of BioEngineering

The department is one of the key basic science departments at Moffitt’s Center for Innovation, a new research facility being built at Speros FL, designed to stimulate entrepreneurship. Phase one of the development of Speros FL is expected to begin in mid-to-late 2023. Currently, the department is located at Moffitt Cancer Center's Magnolia campus.