The role of tumor microenvironment in cancer progression and drug response (Dr Kevin Dzobo)

Dr. Kevin Dzobo is a Senior Research Officer in the Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine. Dr Dzobo obtained a PhD in Medical Biochemistry from the Division of Medical Biochemistry at the University of Cape Town. His doctoral research focused on the role of tumor microenvironment in carcinogenesis, with a specific emphasis on the expression of type I collagen genes as part of the extracellular matrix component of tumors. Dr. Dzobo did postdoctoral research at the University of Cape Town and at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Cape Town Component. Dr Dzobo was then appointed as a Senior Research Officer/Senior Lecturer at ICGEB/UCT with his research focussed on esophageal and breast cancer as well as regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Dr Dzobo then served as a Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Physiological Sciences at Stellenbosch University. In 2021, Dr Dzobo was appointed in his current position as a Senior Research Officer/Senior Lecturer in the Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine. Dr. Dzobo’s research interests are centred on understanding the role played by tumor microenvironment in tumorigenesis and chemoresistance, wound healing/foreign body response after silicone implant insertion, and stem cell biology. His expertise in these areas has been widely recognized by his fellow scientists and he has been a recipient of both local and global awards. Dr Dzobo is an accomplished researcher with an H-index of 31 and more than 100 publications and 4000 citations. Dr Dzobo has supervised many students including more than 20 Masters and PhD students. Dzobo was recently elected as the vice president of the African Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (ATERMIS). Dr Dzobo is an Editor and a reviewer for various top journals including those from Nature and Elsevier. Dr Dzobo is an active member of the Mowbray community in which he contributes to local safety and church committees. His efforts have contributed significantly to fostering a culture of knowledge-sharing and scientific inquiry especially on the use of stem cells and regenerative medicine.