Faculty
Deryl Troyer
DVM, Kansas State
University, 1972
PhD, Kansas State University, 1985
Phone (785) 532-4509
e-mail troyer@vet.k-state.edu
Research interests
Deryl Troyer received his DVM in 1972 and a doctoral degree in 1985 from Kansas State University. Dr. Troyer served as an assistant professor at the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois, and was a visiting researcher in molecular genetics at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah. He has been a professor at Kansas State University since 1986. He is co-discoverer of primitive stem cells within umbilical cord Wharton’s jelly, and a founding member of the Midwest Institute for Comparative Stem Cell Biology at KSU. He is a recipient of the Otto Zietschman Prize in Experimental Embryology, and is a recipient of the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence as well as several teaching awards. Dr. Troyer’s current research focus is stem cell biotechnology, particularly in the utilization of stem cells as delivery vehicles for targeted cancer therapy. His lab has successfully used engineered umbilical cord stem and other cells to deliver cytokines to breast cancer, melanoma and pancreatic cancer in rodent models. He and his collaborators are also pursuing the goal of using tumor-tropic cells as ‘stealth vehicles’ to ferry nanoparticle payloads into tumors. In particular, they have been loading these cells ex vivo with core/shell magnetic nanoparticles and created localized hyperthermia after exposure to an oscillating magnetic field. They are further exploring this system as a method to deliver other heat-triggered anti-cancer therapies.