Christopher Heaphy, PhD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Dr. Christopher Heaphy is a dedicated cancer biologist whose research combines tissue-based, cell-based, and molecular approaches to investigate the role of telomere alterations in human diseases, with a primary focus on cancer, including prostate cancer, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, breast cancer, sarcomas, and gliomas. His lab conducts both basic and translational research aimed at understanding how these alterations contribute to the initiation and progression of cancer.

The overarching goal of Dr. Heaphy's research program is to leverage molecular insights from the tumor and its microenvironment to advance clinical applications. His work aims to develop strategies for accurately predicting cancer risk, prognosis, and the potential response to targeted therapies.

Dr. Heaphy earned his Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and completed postdoctoral training at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Currently, he is an Associate Professor of Medicine affiliated with Boston Medical Center and a member of the Boston University-Boston Medical Center (BU-BMC) Cancer Center.

Publications

  • Published 3/27/2026

    Song H, Xu J, Velazquez-Arcelay K, Demirci A, Raizenne BL, Hsu SC, Choi J, Pham JH, Chen YA, Weinstein HNW, Salzman I, Tsui M, Akutagawa J, Adingo W, Goldschmidt E, Carroll PR, Hong JC, Heaphy CM, Cooperberg MR, Greenland N, Campbell JD, Huang FW. A single-cell and spatial atlas of prostate cancer reveals the combinatorial nature of gene modules underlying lineage plasticity and metastasis. bioRxiv. 2026 Mar 27. PMID: 41928983.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/18/2026

    Arbesfeld-Qiu JM, Cho JW, Nguyen PTT, Lester NA, Su J, Shiau C, Guo JA, Hoffman H, Caldwell N, Muratani S, Galvan M, Proctor JE, Ely Z, Wang S, Ganci M, Dries R, Hong T, Wo J, Boland G, Fernandez-Del Castillo C, Ferrone CR, Heaphy CM, Zhang ML, Mino-Kenudson M, Hemberg M, Hwang WL. Distinct malignant cell states and myeloid glutamate signaling associated with aggressive pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. Clin Cancer Res. 2026 Mar 18. PMID: 41849229.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/2/2026

    Keegan J, Sorbello S, Mori J, Muratani S, Leshchiner I, Heaphy CM, Flynn RL. Functional inactivation of the telomerase chaperone TCAB1 primes cells for the activation of ALT in osteosarcoma. bioRxiv. 2026 Jan 02. PMID: 41509329.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/1/2025

    Belakhoua S, Lopez G, Dubey S, Rai S, Chen L, Chen S, Pallavajjala A, Yuan M, Pekmezci M, Stojanova M, Heaphy CM, Eberhart CG, Rodriguez FJ. RECQL4 alterations in gliomas and nerve sheath tumors: Expression patterns and therapeutic implications. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2025 Dec 01; 84(12):1191-1201. PMID: 41317405.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/8/2025

    Wood-Trageser MA, Nichols CT, Hutchings DA, Bell D, Wald AI, Smith K, Hong SM, Luchini C, Brosens LAA, Verschuur AVD, Bevere M, Lawlor RT, Scarpa A, Keating S, Tucker J, O'Sullivan RJ, Liu TC, McGrath K, Fasanella K, Brand RE, Lennon AM, Das R, Singh H, Slivka A, Mahmood S, Hosmer AE, Khalid A, Romutis SL, Zureikat AH, Zeh HJ, Hogg ME, Lee KK, Paniccia A, Nunns G, Ongchin M, Park WG, Polanco PM, He J, Simeone DM, Ferrone CR, Hsu D, Zhang J, Gorantla V, Rhee J, Hruban RH, Singhi AH, Singhi SA, Wang CK, Shaker N, Bubar R, Grupillo M, Lai YT, Nikiforova MN, Heaphy CM, Waters KM, Singhi AD. Recurrent BEND2 Fusion Genes Identified by Whole Transcriptome Sequencing of Nonfunctional Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors Correlate With Poor Patient Prognosis. Mod Pathol. 2025 Oct; 38(10):100863. PMID: 40784487.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 120 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Member, BU-BMC Cancer Center
    Boston University
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • University of New Mexico School of Medicine, PhD
  • University of New Mexico, BS

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