Michael C. Haffner

Michael C. Haffner, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch) with dual appointments in the Human Biology Division and Clinical Research Division. He concurrently serves as an Associate Professor of Pathology at the University of Washington School of Medicine and is a member of the Translational Data Science Integrated Research Center (TDS IRC). As a physician-scientist, he specializes in genitourinary pathology and prostate cancer research, bridging clinical diagnostics with laboratory investigations into metastasis mechanisms.

Education:

• Fellowship, Genitourinary Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2019
• Resident, Anatomic Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2018
• Fellowship, Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2015
• PhD, Molecular Oncology, Innsbruck Medical University, Austria, 2013
• MD, Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Austria, 2006

His research program focuses on three interconnected themes:

1. Cytoskeletal regulation in metastasis: Investigating how loss of AIM1 protein enables cellular shape-shifting and metastatic spread in prostate cancer.
2. Epigenetic alterations: Mapping DNA methylation patterns in advanced prostate cancer using next-generation sequencing to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities.
3. Tumor heterogeneity: Characterizing molecular diversity in therapy-resistant cancers to improve diagnostic and treatment strategies.

No scientific awards are mentioned in the source material.

Dr. Haffner leads the Haffner Lab at Fred Hutch, which employs integrated tissue-based and genomic approaches to study prostate cancer progression. The lab aims to translate findings into novel biomarkers and targeted therapies for advanced disease.