Adam D. Pfefferle

Adam D. Pfefferle, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Director of the LCCC Translational Genomics Lab (TGL). He holds a PhD from UNC Chapel Hill and a Master of Engineering in Materials Science from NC State University. His research focuses on translational genomics, assay development, and cancer biology, particularly in triple-negative breast cancer and spatial transcriptomics. Pfefferle’s work bridges laboratory research with clinical applications, leveraging mouse models and genomic technologies to identify drug targets and improve diagnostic tools.

Education

• PhD in Genetics, UNC Chapel Hill
• Master of Engineering in Materials Science, NC State University

Research Interests

Pfefferle’s research integrates molecular biology, bioinformatics, and engineering to develop diagnostic assays and understand tumor biology. Key areas include:

• Assay development for clinical diagnostics (e.g., microfluidic platforms)
• Genomic profiling of breast cancer subtypes (e.g., claudin-low, basal-like)
• Mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in metastatic cancers
• Spatial transcriptomics and single-cell sequencing for tumor heterogeneity analysis

Lab & Translational Work

As TGL Director, he oversees a facility providing genomic services for academic and clinical research, including NanoString assays, spatial transcriptomics, and NGS. The lab supports projects like UNCseq and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), having processed over 12,000 assays.

Collaborations & Grants

Pfefferle collaborates with researchers at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and has contributed to studies on drug targets and metastasis mechanisms in breast cancer. His work has informed clinical trials and diagnostic technologies (e.g., Codetta Bio’s molecular diagnostics).