Christopher Vakoc
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Christopher Vakoc is a molecular biologist and a Professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory[1].
Education
Vakoc graduated with a degree in Biochemistry from Pennsylvania State University in 2001[2][3]. He then attained his M.D. and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. His PhD research was performed with Gerd Blobel on the regulation of gene expression during hematopoiesis[3]. In 2008, he established his own independent research group at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.[2][3]
Career and research
Vakoc uses CRISPR/Cas9 technology to probe the epigenetic regulation of cancer and to identify new cancer drug targets[1]. In 2011, Vakoc discovered that the epigenetic protein BRD4 was particularly important for leukemia, leading to a series of clinical trials with a new drug, JQ1.[4][5][6] By studying cancer epigenetics, Vakoc has also identified a new subtype of lung cancer[7] and has discovered how gene expression changes affect metastasis in pancreatic cancer.[8]
Recently, Vakoc has developed a CRISPR screening approach to identify the protein domains that are most important for cancer growth.[9][10]
Awards and honors
- American Association for Cancer Research Outstanding Achievement Award, 2015[11]
- Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance Prize, 2016[3]
- Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research, 2019[12]
References
- ^ a b "Chris Vakoc". Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- ^ a b "Vakoc Lab | Chris Vakoc Bio". vakoclab.labsites.cshl.edu. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- ^ a b c d "Christopher Vakoc, MD, PhD". Pershing Square Foundation. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- ^ "A Conversation with Christopher Vakoc". Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology. 81: 344–346. 2016-01-01. doi:10.1101/sqb.2016.81.031617. ISSN 0091-7451. PMID 28123048.
- ^ Zuber, Johannes; Shi, Junwei; Wang, Eric; Rappaport, Amy R.; Herrmann, Harald; Sison, Edward A.; Magoon, Daniel; Qi, Jun; Blatt, Katharina; Wunderlich, Mark; Taylor, Meredith J. (2011-10). "RNAi screen identifies Brd4 as a therapeutic target in acute myeloid leukaemia". Nature. 478 (7370): 524–528. doi:10.1038/nature10334. ISSN 1476-4687.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Researchers test treatment for type of leukemia". Newsday. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- ^ "LI scientists discover new form of lung cancer". Newsday. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- ^ "Enhancers Drive Pancreatic Cancer Metastasis: Study". The Scientist Magazine®. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- ^ "Targeting Protein Domains with CRISPR". The Scientist Magazine®. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- ^ "What's the likelihood that CRISPR will cure Cancer?".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Cancer researcher Dr. Chris Vakoc to receive AACR's Outstanding Achievement Award". Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer. 2015-04-22. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- ^ "Three Scientists are Named Winners of the Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)