Overview
The Counter lab studies the molecular mechanisms that underly to the onset of human cancers, with the goal to prevent cancer initiation or progression. The lab uses ultra-senstitive sequencing platforms and proteomic-coupled CRISPR/Cas9 screens to elucidate the factors that mold the mutational patterns selected to initiate the process of tumorigenesis. See https://counter.labs.duke.edu/ for further details.
Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology
·
2021 - Present
Pharmacology & Cancer Biology,
Basic Science Departments
Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology
·
2011 - Present
Pharmacology & Cancer Biology,
Basic Science Departments
Assistant Professor in Radiation Oncology
·
2020 - Present
Radiation Oncology,
Clinical Science Departments
Professor of Cell Biology
·
2022 - Present
Cell Biology,
Basic Science Departments
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute
·
2002 - Present
Duke Cancer Institute,
Institutes and Centers
Recent Scholarly Works
Fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma oncofusions share a common interactome.
Journal article Nat Commun · May 28, 2026 Fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma (FP-RMS) arises from at least seven distinct oncofusions sharing a common PAX3/7 N-terminal DNA-binding domain fused to divergent C-terminal partners. How different oncofusions produce the same cancer was unknown. Here we s ... Full text Link to item CiteKRASG12R-Mutant Pancreatic Cancer Features Limited ERK/MAPK Transcriptional Activity and a Distinctive Tumor Microenvironment.
Journal article Cancer Res · April 15, 2026 UNLABELLED: Patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) harboring KRASG12R mutations have increased overall survival relative to patients with KRASG12D/V mutations. To investigate the mechanisms underlying this differential outcome, we developed ... Full text Link to item CiteProfiling KRAS mutations in whole blood by error-corrected maximum depth sequencing.
Journal article NPJ Precis Oncol · April 3, 2026 Clinical use of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing is rapidly increasing, but performance is limited by the sensitivity of next generation sequencing and relies on specialized sample collection. Here we describe sequencing the most frequently mutated ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Genetics and Genomics Training Grant
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2026 - 2031Cell and Molecular Biology Training Program
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 2026 - 2031Identification and targeting of essential regions of driver fusion oncoproteins in rhabdomyosarcoma
ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by V Foundation for Cancer Research · 2025 - 2030View All Grants
Education
McMaster University (Canada) ·
1996
Ph.D.
McMaster University (Canada) ·
1990
B.S.