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Christopher Benedict Umbricht, M.D., Ph.D.

Headshot of Christopher Benedict Umbricht
  • Associate Professor of Surgery

Languages: English, French, German

Research Interests

Breast Cancer; Thyroid Cancer; Molecular Cancer Research ...read more

Background

Dr. Christopher Umbricht is an associate professor of surgery in the Division of Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery as well as an associate professor of pathology in the Department of Pathology and

An associate professor of oncology at The Johns Hopkins Oncology Center at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. His research focuses on breast cancer and thyroid cancer, and on the role of specific genes, such as telomerase, or the Vitamin D receptor, in the progression to invasive cancer.

He earned a bacchalaureate type A (classic) and MD from the Humanistisches Gymnasium Basel in Switzerland. He completed an internship in pathology at the Institute of Pathology and an internship in medicine there as well. Dr. Umbricht completed a residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He also completed a PhD in molecular biology & genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. From 1996-1999 he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center.

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Titles

  • Associate Professor of Surgery
  • Associate Professor of Oncology
  • Associate Professor of Pathology

Departments / Divisions

  • Oncology - Division of Women's Malignancies
  • Pathology
  • Surgery - Surgical Oncology

Centers & Institutes

Education

Degrees

  • Ph.D.; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Maryland) (1996)
  • M.D.; University Basel - Medicine Fak - Basel - (Switzerland) (1982)

Additional Training

  • MD Board of Physicians / Physician and Surgeon
  • American Board of Internal Medicine / Board Certified Internal Medicine

Research & Publications

Research Summary

We are applying morphological, biochemical, and genetic approaches to the problem of preinvasive cancer and what determines its progression to invasive disease. Our main focus has been on breast cancer and thyroid cancer, and on the role of specific genes, such as telomerase, or the Vitamin D receptor, in the progression to invasive cancer. We are currently using genome-wide cDNA and methylation arrays as well as next-generation sequencing technologies to identify changes in gene expression, DNA methylation, and DNA copy number variation during tumor progression, and following up on promising leads by developing DNA methylation markers, real-time RT-PCR assays, and immunohistochemical analyses for individual genes and molecular signatures with prognostic and predictive significance in the clinical setting.

Technology Expertise Keywords

Creator and Curator of integrated clinical-pathological research databases.

Selected Publications

View all on PubMed

McKelvey BA, Zeiger MA, Umbricht CB. Characterization of TERT and BRAF copy number variation in papillary thyroid carcinoma: An analysis of the cancer genome atlas study. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2021; 60:403-409; doi: 10.1002/gcc.22928

McKelvey BA, Gilpatrick T, Wang Y, Timp W, Umbricht CB (corresponding), Zeiger MA. Characterization of Allele-Specific Regulation of Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase in Promoter Mutant Thyroid Cancer Cell Lines. [published online ahead of print, 2020 May 4]. Thyroid. 2020; 30:1470–1481.  PMID: 32228178; doi:10.1089/thy.2020.0055

Fackler MJ, Cho S, Cope LM, Gabrielson E, Visvanathan K, Wilsbach K, Meir-Levi D, Lynch CF, Marks J, Geradts J, Regan MM, Viale G, Wolff AC, Sukumar S, Umbricht CB.  DNA Methylation Markers Predict Recurrence-Free Interval in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. NPJ Breast Cancer. 2020;6:1-6. doi: 10.1038/s41523-020-0145-3.

Cho S, Zeiger MA, Umbricht CB (corresponding), Cope LM. Measuring DNA copy number variation using high-density methylation microarrays. J Comp Biol. 2019; 26:295-304. PMCID:6786966.

Liu Z, Sahli Z, Wang Y, Wolff AC, Cope LM, Umbricht CB. Young age at diagnosis is associated with worse prognosis in the Luminal A breast cancer subtype: a retrospective institutional cohort study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2018;172:689-702. doi: 10.1007/s10549-018-4950-4. PubMed PMID: 30225619

Patents

Cloning & Expression of the 14 kD subunit of human replication protein A
Patent # 179837 | 

Contact for Research Inquiries

Email me Phone: 410-614-2662

Academic Affiliations & Courses

Graduate Program Affiliation

Cellular and Molecular Medicie

Pathobiology

Courses and Syllabi

  • SKCC Breast Center Annual Retreat: Coordinator & Judge, Poster Session Competition
    2013

Activities & Honors

Memberships

  • American Association of Microbiology
  • American Association of Cancer Research
  • American Association for Molecular Pathology
  • American Thyroid Association

Videos & Media

Lectures and Presentations

  • Short Oral Communications
    Session Chair, 15th International Thyroid Congress, Lake Nuena Vista, FL (01/01/2015)
  • Current Concepts in the Management of Thyroid and Parathyroid Neoplasms
    Lecture, Houston, Texas (01/01/2015)
    MD Anderson Cancer Cente

Patient Ratings & Comments

The Patient Rating score is an average of all responses to physician related questions on the national CG-CAHPS Medical Practice patient experience survey through Press Ganey. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best score. Comments are also gathered from our CG-CAHPS Medical Practice Survey through Press Ganey and displayed in their entirety. Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.

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