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Chris Vakoc

Christopher Vakoc

Professor
Alan and Edith Seligson Professor of Cancer Research
Cancer Center Deputy Director of Research

M.D., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 2007

vakoc@cshl.edu | 516-367-5045

Vakoc Lab Website   Faculty Profile

Cancer cells achieve their pathogenicity by changing which genes are on and off. To maintain these changes in gene expression, cancer cells rely on proteins that interact with DNA or modify chromatin. My group investigates how such factors sustain the aberrant capabilities of cancer cells, thereby identifying new therapeutic targets.

Cancer can be understood as a disease of dysfunctional gene expression control. Research in Chris Vakoc’s lab investigates how transcription factors and chromatin regulators cooperate to control gene expression and maintain the cancer cell state. This work makes extensive use of genetic screens to reveal cancer-specific functions for transcriptional regulators, as well as genomic and biochemical approaches to identify molecular mechanisms. One theme that has emerged from their efforts is that blood cancers are often vulnerable to targeting transcriptional coactivators, such as BRD4 and the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex. Vakoc’s team demonstrated that chemical inhibition of BRD4 exhibits therapeutic effects in mouse models of leukemia, a finding that has motivated ongoing clinical trials in human leukemia patients. The Vakoc lab has also developed a CRISPR-Cas9 screening approach that can reveal individual protein domains that sustain cancer cells. Their lab is now deploying this technology in a diverse array of human cancers to reveal therapeutic opportunities and basic mechanisms of cancer gene control.

Vakoc wins Paul Marks Prize for cancer research
AACR Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research Award
Forbeck Scholar Award
"V Scholar" by The V Foundation for Cancer Research
Burroughs Welcome Fund Career Award for Medical Scientists
Pershing Square Sohn Prize
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Scholar Award

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All Publications

Sequential epigenetic therapy in AML.

13 Feb 2025 | Blood | 145(7):660-661
Wang, Yuanting;  Vakoc, Christopher;  

PTPN23-dependent ESCRT machinery functions as a cell death checkpoint

28 Nov 2024 | Nature Communications | 15(1):10364
Song, Dongyan;  Cen, Yuxin;  Qian, Zhe;  Wu, Xiaoli;  Rivera, Keith;  Wee, Tse-Luen;  Demerdash, Osama;  Chang, Kenneth;  Pappin, Darryl;  Vakoc, Christopher;  Tonks, Nicholas;  

Dietary pro-oxidant therapy by a vitamin K precursor targets PI 3-kinase VPS34 function

25 Oct 2024 | Science | 386(6720):eadk9167
Swamynathan, Manojit;  Kuang, Shan;  Watrud, Kaitlin;  Doherty, Mary;  Gineste, Charlotte;  Mathew, Grinu;  Gong, Grace;  Cox, Hilary;  Cheng, Eileen;  Reiss, David;  Kendall, Jude;  Ghosh, Diya;  Reczek, Colleen;  Zhao, Xiang;  Herzka, Tali;  Špokaitė, Saulė;  Dessus, Antoine;  Kim, Seung;  Klingbeil, Olaf;  Liu, Juan;  Nowak, Dawid;  Alsudani, Habeeb;  Wee, Tse-Luen;  Park, Youngkyu;  Minicozzi, Francesca;  Rivera, Keith;  Almeida, Ana;  Chang, Kenneth;  Chakrabarty, Ram;  Wilkinson, John;  Gimotty, Phyllis;  Diermeier, Sarah;  Egeblad, Mikala;  Vakoc, Christopher;  Locasale, Jason;  Chandel, Navdeep;  Janowitz, Tobias;  Hicks, James;  Wigler, Michael;  Pappin, Darryl;  Williams, Roger;  Cifani, Paolo;  Tuveson, David;  Laporte, Jocelyn;  Trotman, Lloyd;  

JMJD1C forms condensates to facilitate a RUNX1-dependent gene expression program shared by multiple types of AML cells

25 Oct 2024 | Protein and Cell | :pwae059
Chen, Qian;  Wang, Saisai;  Zhang, Juqing;  Xie, Min;  Lu, Bin;  He, Jie;  Zhen, Zhuoran;  Li, Jing;  Zhu, Jiajun;  Li, Rong;  Li, Pilong;  Wang, Haifeng;  Vakoc, Christopher;  Roeder, Robert;  Chen, Mo;  

HDAC3 genetic and pharmacologic inhibition radiosensitizes fusion positive rhabdomyosarcoma by promoting DNA double-strand breaks

6 Aug 2024 | Cell Death Discovery | 10(1):351
Cassandri, Matteo;  Porrazzo, Antonella;  Pomella, Silvia;  Noce, Beatrice;  Zwergel, Clemens;  Aiello, Francesca;  Vulcano, Francesca;  Milazzo, Luisa;  Camero, Simona;  Pajalunga, Deborah;  Spada, Massimo;  Manzi, Valeria;  Gravina, Giovanni;  Codenotti, Silvia;  Piccione, Michela;  Tomaciello, Miriam;  Signore, Michele;  Barillari, Giovanni;  Marchese, Cinzia;  Fanzani, Alessandro;  De Angelis, Biagio;  Quintarelli, Concetta;  Vakoc, Christopher;  Chen, Eleanor;  Megiorni, Francesca;  Locatelli, Franco;  Valente, Sergio;  Mai, Antonello;  Rota, Rossella;  Marampon, Francesco;  

MARK2/MARK3 kinases are catalytic co-dependencies of YAP/TAZ in human cancer

26 Jul 2024 | Cancer Discovery
Klingbeil, Olaf;  Skopelitis, Damianos;  Tonelli, Claudia;  Yoshimoto, Toyoki;  Alpsoy, Aktan;  Panepinto, Maria;  Minicozzi, Francesca;  Merrill, Joseph;  Cafiero, Amanda;  Aggarwal, Disha;  Russo, Suzanne;  Ha, Taehoon;  Demerdash, Osama;  Wee, Tse-Luen;  Spector, David;  Lyons, Scott;  Tuveson, David;  Cifani, Paolo;  Vakoc, Christopher;  

Mammalian SWI/SNF complex activity regulates POU2F3 and constitutes a targetable dependency in small cell lung cancer

17 Jul 2024 | Cancer Cell | :S1535-6108(24)00237
Duplaquet, Leslie;  So, Kevin;  Ying, Alexander;  Pal Choudhuri, Shreoshi;  Li, Xinyue;  Xu, Grace;  Li, Yixiang;  Qiu, Xintao;  Li, Rong;  Singh, Shilpa;  Wu, Xiaoli;  Hamilton, Seth;  Chien, Victor;  Liu, Qi;  Qi, Jun;  Somerville, Tim;  Heiling, Hillary;  Mazzola, Emanuele;  Lee, Yenarae;  Zoller, Thomas;  Vakoc, Christopher;  Doench, John;  Forrester, William;  Abrams, Tinya;  Long, Henry;  Niederst, Matthew;  Drapkin, Benjamin;  Kadoch, Cigall;  Oser, Matthew;  

Targeting the mSWI/SNF complex in POU2F-POU2AF transcription factor-driven malignancies

26 Jun 2024 | Cancer Cell | :S1535-6108(24)00231
He, Tongchen;  Xiao, Lanbo;  Qiao, Yuanyuan;  Klingbeil, Olaf;  Young, Eleanor;  Wu, Xiaoli;  Mannan, Rahul;  Mahapatra, Somnath;  Redin, Esther;  Cho, Hanbyul;  Bao, Yi;  Kandarpa, Malathi;  Ching-Yi Tien, Jean;  Wang, Xiaoju;  Eyunni, Sanjana;  Zheng, Yang;  Kim, NamHoon;  Zheng, Heng;  Hou, Siyu;  Su, Fengyun;  Miner, Stephanie;  Mehra, Rohit;  Cao, Xuhong;  Abbineni, Chandrasekhar;  Samajdar, Susanta;  Ramachandra, Murali;  Dhanasekaran, Saravana;  Talpaz, Moshe;  Parolia, Abhijit;  Rudin, Charles;  Vakoc, Christopher;  Chinnaiyan, Arul;  

Interaction between MED12 and ΔNp63 activates basal identity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

17 Jun 2024 | Nature Genetics
Maia-Silva, Diogo;  Cunniff, Patrick;  Schier, Allison;  Skopelitis, Damianos;  Trousdell, Marygrace;  Moresco, Philip;  Gao, Yuan;  Kechejian, Vahag;  He, Xue-Yan;  Sahin, Yunus;  Wan, Ledong;  Alpsoy, Aktan;  Liverpool, Jynelle;  Krainer, Adrian;  Egeblad, Mikala;  Spector, David;  Fearon, Douglas;  Dos Santos, Camila;  Taatjes, Dylan;  Vakoc, Christopher;  

CHD2 Regulates Neuron-glioma Interactions in Pediatric Glioma

20 May 2024 | Cancer Discovery
Zhang, Xu;  Duan, Shoufu;  Apostolou, Panagiota;  Wu, Xiaoping;  Watanabe, Jun;  Gallitto, Matthew;  Barron, Tara;  Taylor, Kathryn;  Woo, Pamelyn;  Hua, Xu;  Zhou, Hui;  Wei, Hong-Jian;  McQuillan, Nicholas;  Kang, Kyung-Don;  Friedman, Gregory;  Canoll, Peter;  Chang, Kenneth;  Wu, Cheng-Chia;  Hashizume, Rintaro;  Vakoc, Christopher;  Monje, Michelle;  McKhann, Guy;  Gogos, Joseph;  Zhang, Zhiguo;  

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