Loading Complete
Chris B. Umbricht

Chris B. Umbricht, MD, PhD

Highlights

Languages

  • English

Gender

Male

Johns Hopkins Affiliations:

  • Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty

About Chris B. Umbricht

Primary Academic Title

Associate Professor of Surgery

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.

Languages Spoken: English, French, and German

Additional Academic Titles

Associate Professor of Oncology, Associate Professor of Pathology

Contact for Research Inquiries

Phone: (410) 614-2662
cumbrich@jhmi.edu

Research Interests

Breast Cancer, Molecular Cancer Research, Thyroid Cancer

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.

Selected Publications

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

Courses & Syllabi

SKCC Breast Center Annual Retreat: Coordinator & Judge, Poster Session Competition, 1/1/13

Patents

Cloning & Expression of the 14 kD subunit of human replication protein A, 179837

Lectures & Presentations

  • Current Concepts in the Management of Thyroid and Parathyroid Neoplasms, Lecture, MD Anderson Cancer Cente, Houston, Texas, 1/1/15
  • Short Oral Communications, Session Chair, 15th International Thyroid Congress, Lake Nuena Vista, FL, 1/1/15

Graduate Program Affiliations

  • Cellular and Molecular Medicie

    Pathobiology

Memberships

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

Expertise

Education

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Ph.D., 1996

University Basel - Medicine Fak - Basel - Switzerland

M.D., 1982