Christopher Vakoc

Vakoc graduated with a degree in Biochemistry from Pennsylvania State University in 2001.[1] 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.[1] In 2008, he established his own independent research group at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.[1][2]

Vakoc uses CRISPR/Cas9 technology to probe the epigenetic regulation of cancer and to identify new cancer drug targets.[1][2] 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.[3][4][5] By studying cancer epigenetics, Vakoc has also identified a new subtype of lung cancer[6] and has discovered how gene expression changes affect metastasis in pancreatic cancer.[7][8]

Recently, Vakoc has developed a CRISPR screening approach to identify the protein domains that are most important for cancer growth.[9][10]

• American Association for Cancer Research Outstanding Achievement Award, 2015[11]
• Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance Prize, 2016[1]
• Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research, 2019[12]