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Dr. Veronika Bachanova named co-leader of MCC's Transplant and Cellular Therapy research program

The Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota is pleased to announce that Veronika Bachanova, MD, PhD, has been appointed as the new co-leader of MCC’s Transplant and Cellular Therapy (TCT) research program. She joins long-standing TCT leader John Wagner.

Dr. Bachanova has been a dedicated member of the cancer center for over a decade, making significant contributions to hematologic malignancy research, early-phase cell therapy clinical trials, and the advancement of transplant and cellular therapy innovations. She has played a pivotal role in maintaining the hematologic malignancies tissue bank, with the support of MCC’s Clinical Research Translational Initiative (CRTI), providing a valuable resource for future discoveries.

As an experienced investigator, Dr. Bachanova has led numerous clinical trials focused on improving treatments for blood cancers and advancing novel cellular therapies. Her work over the years has often led her to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams focused on transplant and cellular therapy, making her well-suited for the role. 

Dr. Bachanova has five investigational new drugs (INDs)—drugs or biological products being studied in clinical trials to determine safety and efficacy before being approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She designed and conducted the first-in-human clinical trials using NK cells for lymphoma and leukemia, and also led a clinical study to overcome resistance to checkpoint inhibitors in Hodgkin lymphoma. Dr. Bachanova has co-authored more than 180 publications and receives funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Bachanova on this well-deserved appointment! We look forward to her continued leadership and contributions to the MCC community.