Dr Dirk Lange

Dr. Dirk Lange is a microbiologist who earned his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario). Since joining the Department of Urologic Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada in 2008 as a postdoctoral fellow and transitioning into a faculty position in 2011, he has been instrumental in developing a translational research program at The Stone Centre at Vancouver General Hospital focused on the treatment of kidney stone disease. One of his major contributions to the field has been in the area of ureteral stent biomaterial design, where he has done extensive work on understanding mechanisms that drive ureteral stent-associated complications including bacterial biofilm formation and device encrustation. Furthermore, Dr. Lange is actively involved in the development of novel anti-fouling coatings for medical devices including ureteral stents and urinary catheters, as well as the development of a biodegradable ureteral stent. Furthermore, given his background in Microbiology & Immunology, Dr. Lange’s research program also involves studying the role of the intestinal microbiome in recurrent kidney stone disease. Given his contributions to benign urology, he was recently named a Urology Care Foundation Research Scholar and the 2015 Outstanding Graduating Scholar by the American Urological Association Office of Research.

Aside from his contributions to benign urology, Dr. Lange’s expertise has been leveraged directly to contributions to collaborative studies in bladder and prostate cancer. As an example, Dr. Lange is actively involved in developing novel bacterial-based alternatives to BCG for the treatment of superficial bladder cancer, and has contributed significantly to studies in the Department looking at the prevention of sepsis following prostate biopsy.

Dr. Lange’s unique background brings a new perspective on various aspects of urological research and has helped foster a vibrant interactive research community in the renal/bladder research group of the Department of Urologic Sciences and the Vancouver Prostate Centre.