Konstantinos Konstantopoulos

KONSTANTINOS KONSTANTOPOULOS, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. He holds secondary appointments in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, the Johns Hopkins Physical Sciences-Oncology Center, and is a faculty member in the Institute for NanoBio Technology (INBT). 

Konstantopoulos’ research is at the intersection of engineering, biology, and medicine with applications in cancer metastasis. He has developed innovative bioengineering tools and techniques for both basic science and translational research. Specifically, he has pioneered the identification and biophysical characterization of novel adhesion molecules preferentially expressed by tumor cells which facilitate their metastatic dissemination in the body. He has discovered a new mechanism termed “osmotic engine model” employed by tumor cells during their metastatic spread. These basic science discoveries have shed light onto previously unknown mechanisms utilized by tumor cells during metastasis and open new avenues to combat this deadly disease. His lab, the Konstantopoulos Lab, has developed a Microfluidic Invasion Network Device (MIND) for diagnosis, prognosis, and precision care of cancer patients. 

Konstantopoulos is a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and of the Biomedical Engineering Society. He has received numerous awards for excellence in research and teaching including the Bioengineering Distinguished Alumnus Award from Rice University (2013), the NSF CAREER Award (2001), the DuPont Young Professor Award (2000), and the Robert B. Pond, Sr. Excellence in Teaching Award (2003 and 2011). He holds three patents, has published more than 130 peer-reviewed articles, and has edited a book entitled Biomechanics in Oncology. He serves as an associate editor or is on the editorial board of numerous journals, and has chaired the NIH Bioengineering Technology and Surgical Sciences study section (2011-2013). Konstantopoulos is currently the principal investigator (PI) of four NIH R01 grants and a project PI on the Johns Hopkins Physical Sciences-Oncology Center. 

Konstantopoulos served as Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from July 2008 until June 2017.