Christopher Heaphy PhD
Associate Professor, Hematology & Medical Oncology
Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
650 Albany St | (617) 638-7536heaphyc@bu.edu
Sections
Hematology & Medical Oncology
Centers
BU-BMC Cancer Center
Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
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.
Websites
Education
Biomedical Sciences, PhD, University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Biology/Biochemistry, BS, University of New Mexico
Publications
Verschuur AVD, Hackeng WM, Jairam J, Eldem B, Westendorp JS, Vriens MR, Valk GD, Pea A, Salvia R, Lawlor RT, Scarpa A, Luchini C, Heaphy CM, Hong SM, Marinoni I, Perren A, Dreijerink KMA, van Dijkum EJMN, Sarasqueta AF, Singhi AD, Elias SG, Brosens LAA. Real-World-Feasible Immunohistochemistry of ATRX, DAXX, and Menin Identifies a Subgroup of Non-Functioning Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors with low Recurrence Risk to Guide De-Escalating Surveillance. Endocr Pathol. 2026 Aug 29; 37(1). PMID: 42667492.
Published on 6/23/2026Benmhammed H, Sun Y, AlAbdullatif S, Chen A, Khan S, Zadeh AM, Mazile N, Beacham GM, Mahdaviani K, Williams C, Alekseyev YO, Campbell JD, Hagedorn EJ, Heaphy C, Klings ES, Steinberg MH, Cui S. PGC-1a agonism via oral administration of ZLN005 induces fetal hemoglobin and is antisickling in sickle mice. Blood Adv. 2026 Jun 23; 10(12):4358-4369. PMID: 42024469.
Published on 6/15/2026Arbesfeld-Qiu JM, Cho JW, Nguyen PTT, Lester NA, Su J, Shiau C, Guo JA, Hoffman H, Caldwell NJ, Muratani S, Galvan M, Proctor JE, Ely ZA, 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 Jun 15; 32(12):2449-2466. PMID: 41849229.
Published on 6/4/2026Keegan J, Sorbello S, Mori J, Muratani S, Leshchiner I, Heaphy CM, Flynn RL. Complex structural variations functionally inactivate the telomerase chaperone TCAB1 in osteosarcoma. BMC Cancer. 2026 Jun 04; 26(1). PMID: 42243724.
Published on 5/29/2026Bevere M, Gkountakos A, Valentinuzzi S, De Fabritiis S, Wong CS, De Robertis R, Mattiolo P, Gentiluomo M, Fassan M, Pea A, Crinò SF, Simbolo M, Mafficini A, Campa D, Cingarlini S, Landoni L, Lawlor RT, Salvia R, D'Onofrio M, Milella M, Adsay V, Brosens LA, Heaphy CM, Hong SM, Singhi AD, Scarpa A, Luchini C. Multi-omic profiles of neuroendocrine neoplasms of the pancreas: an integrated landscape. Mol Cancer. 2026 May 29; 25(1). PMID: 42210310.
Published on 5/11/2026Song 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. Defining the combinatorial nature of gene modules in prostate cancer underlying lineage plasticity and metastasis. Res Sq. 2026 May 11. PMID: 42183352.
Published on 3/27/2026Song 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.
Published on 1/2/2026Keegan 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.
Published on 12/1/2025Belakhoua 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.
Published on 8/8/2025Wood-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.