Affiliation: Department of Translational Surgical Oncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ)

Dr. Lei Zhu is a cancer researcher specializing in gastrointestinal malignancies and circulating tumor cells (CTCs). He completed his doctoral study at Heidelberg University and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) (2018–2022), where he developed genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) to study CTC biology and successfully established CTC-derived organoids to investigate tumor heterogeneity and metastatic potential. His research integrated single-cell transcriptomics to explore CTC evolution.

Dr. Zhu continues his research at DKFZ, focusing on CTC-platelet interactions in hematogenous metastasis. His work aims to elucidate the mechanisms of CTC dissemination, immune evasion, and metastatic colonization to identify novel therapeutic vulnerabilities. He employs advanced methodologies to bridge fundamental cancer biology with translational applications, including single-cell multi-omics, CTC-derived organoids, and in vitro metastasis assays. Dr. Zhu’s research contributes to developing innovative CTC technologies and metastasis-targeting strategies.