Robert Bachoo

Dr. Robert Bachoo is a Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center, holding appointments in the Department of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, and the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center. He joined the faculty in 2006 and was named the Miller Family Professor in Neuro-Oncology. Dr. Bachoo leads the Neuro-Oncology Translational Laboratory, coordinating multidisciplinary research on brain tumors.

Dr. Bachoo received his MD from the University of Toronto and PhD from McGill University. He completed his Neurology training at Tufts University, where he served as Chief Resident in Neurology. Following clinical training, he conducted post-doctoral research at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University, while serving as a Clinical Instructor in Neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

His research focuses on understanding the fundamental mechanisms driving malignant brain tumors. A major emphasis is developing accurate models of brain tumors, including genetically engineered mouse glioma models (GEMMs) and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. His laboratory has generated one of the largest collections of brain tumor PDX models in the country and pioneered intra-operative metabolic tracer studies in brain tumor patients. His work has overturned an 80-year-old dogma about how brain tumors fuel their growth and identified novel clinical imaging biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Dr. Bachoo collaborates with faculty in Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at UT Arlington and UT Dallas to study how brain tumor cells migrate through brain tissue.

Dr. Bachoo has authored more than 100 scientific peer-reviewed articles spanning neuro-oncology, brain tumor metabolism, blood-brain barrier modulation, and glioma biology. His recent publications demonstrate continued leadership in developing innovative approaches to understand and treat brain tumors, with particular focus on optical modulation of the blood-brain barrier and tumor metabolism.

• Miller Family Professor in Neuro-Oncology
• Permanent Member of Cellular and Molecular Biology of Glia (CMBG) Study Section
• Member of Cancer Atlas
• Served on Multiple NIH Research Study Sections

Dr. Bachoo serves as a reviewer for more than 20 journals and has developed strong collaborative research networks both within UT Southwestern and with other institutions. His laboratory's work on brain tumor models has created critical discovery platforms for understanding tumor growth mechanisms and identifying therapeutic vulnerabilities. His research team employs biophysical approaches to understand brain tumor cell migration through brain tissue, aiming to develop novel strategies to safely and reversibly disrupt the blood-brain barrier for drug delivery.

Dr. Bachoo leads the Neuro-Oncology Translational Laboratory in the Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, which coordinates multidisciplinary basic, translational, and clinical brain tumor-related research. His laboratory has established one of the largest brain tumor PDX model collections in the country, serving as critical platforms for understanding fundamental tumor growth mechanisms and identifying therapeutic vulnerabilities.