Urs Häfeli PhD

Dr. Urs Häfeli completed a bachelor of science in pharmacy at the Federal Institute of Technology (Zurich, Switzerland) and a doctor of philosophy in pharmacy at Paul Scherrer Institute/Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. After a postdoc at Harvard’s Joint Center of Radiation Therapy in Boston, MA, USA, he worked for 11 years as a scientist in the Radiation Oncology Department of the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH, USA. From 2004 to 2024, he then worked as a professor in Nanomedicines, Radiopharmaceuticals and Drug Delivery at UBC’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Research in the Häfeli Laboratory is primarily directed at the development of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals to be used in different nuclear medicine procedures (SPECT, PET, CT, MRI, optical imaging). The lab also exploits nanotechnology and microtechnology for different drug delivery applications, including the development of painless microneedles and the use of microfluidics for the preparation of monosized microspheres and nanoparticles. Under the guidance of Research Associate Dr. Kathy Saatchi, the Häfeli Laboratory has a strong chemistry base that encompasses organic, coordination and polymer chemistry. Using these tools, Dr. Häfeli’s research includes the entire spectrum of drug research from the synthesis and radiolabelling of new molecules; the preparation of drug delivery carriers such as nanoparticles, microspheres, antibodies, and polymers; the careful evaluation of drug delivery systems in vitro and in toxicology experiments; and finally, efficacy testing in different in vivo models using many different imaging modalities.

For more details, see the Häfeli Lab website.

Hafeli Lab Website
Complete List of Publications