Assistant Professor
Sanford Research / University of South Dakota School of Medicine
Pilar de la Puente, PhD, Assistant Professor at Sanford Research / University of South Dakota School of Medicine received his PhD at University of Salamanca in Spain in the field of Biomedical Engineering and Biological Sciences. Her postdoctoral studies at Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine focused on the recreation of the tumor microenvironment of hematological malignancies in 3D culture technologies. Currently, Dr. De la Puente studies the role of tumor microenvironment in cancer progression, drug resistance and cancer immunology. Her lab is developing biomimetic tissue engineered models of the tumor microenvironment in order to more accurately mimic cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions for personalized medicine. Dr. de la Puente is actively engaged in diversity, equity and inclusion as the Chair of the DEI committee at her institution. Dr. de la Puente is a CURE recipient (R21), NCI Early Investigator Advancement Program (EIAP) Scholar, and has been awarded prestigious awards including “35 under 35” BussinesInsider Spain, Minority Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research Award from American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) and the Young Investigator Lush Prize. Dr. de la Puente is an active entrepreneur with several patents and roles in start-up companies.