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Christopher M. Counter

George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology
Pharmacology & Cancer Biology
Duke Box 3813, Durham, NC 27710
C225 Lev Sci Res Ctr, Durham, NC 27708

Research Interests


Current projects revolve around capturing initiation mutations in human cancers, proteomic-coupled CRISPR/Cas9 screens, and genetically engineered mouse models of cancer.

Selected Grants


Duke Research Training Program in Surgical Oncology

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

Duke University Program in Environmental Health

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2029

Regulation of fertility and reproduction by codon usage: a Drosophila model

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029

The Duke Preparing Research scholars In bioMEdical sciences (PRIME): Cancer Research Program

ResearchPreceptor · Awarded by National Cancer Institute · 2023 - 2028

Genetic dissection of oncogenic RAS-driven tumor initiation in vivo

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2027

ZEB2 as a cell fate switch in fusion-positive rhabdomyosarcoma

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by Hyundai Hope on Wheels · 2024 - 2026

A Window-of-Opportunity Trial Using Neoadjuvant Hepatic Artery Chemotherapy for Patients With Localized Pancreas Cancer

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by Marc Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Foundation · 2023 - 2026

Cell and Molecular Biology Training Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2021 - 2026

Adapting K-MDS to detect KRAS-mutant ctDNA

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2025

Defining and targeting the molecular vulnerabilities of the PAX3-FOXO1 protein in rhabdomyosarcoma

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2025

Dissecting the evolutionary landscape of treatment resistance in rectal cancer using patient-derived models.

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by American Gastroenterological Association · 2022 - 2025

Pharmacological Sciences Training Grant

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEPreceptor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2025

Genetic and Genomics Training Grant

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2025

PROMINENT - DUKE

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Cancer Institute · 2022 - 2025

PROMINENT - Discovering the molecular signatures of cancer PROMotion to INform prevENTion

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by International Agency for Research on Cancer · 2022 - 2025

Institutional Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF)

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEParticipating Faculty Member · Awarded by American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics · 2018 - 2025

Viral Oncology Training Grant

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1980 - 2025

Interrogating the RAS interactome for therapeutic vulnerabilities

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2020 - 2022

Translational Research in Surgical Oncology

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2002 - 2022

Defining RAS isoform- and mutation-specific roles in oncogenesis

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2016 - 2022

Defining RAS isoform- and mutation-specific roles in oncogenesis

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2016 - 2022

Defining RAS isoform- and mutation-specific roles in oncogenesis

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2016 - 2022

The role of dietary copper in melanoma

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2015 - 2021

The role of NRF2 in breast cancer dormancy and recurrence

FellowshipCo-Sponsor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2020

Identification and validation of the PAX3-FOXO1 protein interactome

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by St. Baldrick's Foundation · 2018 - 2020

Genetics Training Grant

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1979 - 2020

Pharmacological Sciences Training Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEParticipating Faculty Member · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1975 - 2020

Organization and Function of Cellular Structure

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1975 - 2020

Identifying phosphatidylinositol metabolism vulnerabilities in cancer pathways

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2020

Pharmacology Industry Internships for Ph.D. Students

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEParticipating Faculty Member · Awarded by American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics · 2017 - 2019

Dynamic requirements of Ras signaling during cancer

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2014 - 2019

Thermo Lumos Tribrid High-Resolution Accurate-Mass Tandem Mass Spectrometer

EquipmentMajor User · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2019

Duke University Program in Environmental Health

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences · 2013 - 2019

RalA signal transduction

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2002 - 2019

Elucidating the Role of Kras Specificity Determinants in Pancreatic Cancer

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Pancreatic Cancer Action Network · 2017 - 2018

Leveraging copper chelation as targeted therapy for BRAF-driven thyroid cancer

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Triangle Community Foundation · 2015 - 2018

Center for Molecular & Cellular Studies of Ped Disease

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2003 - 2018

The role of KRAS codon bias in tumorigenesis

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2016 - 2017

The effect of oncogenic Ras signaling strength on cancer

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2013 - 2017

A Platform for Real-time Drug Profiling of Patient-Derived Melanomas

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2014 - 2016

Cancer Biology Training Grant

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Cancer Institute · 1993 - 2016

Examining infection-mediated metastasis with single-cell resolution

FellowshipCo-Sponsor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2014 - 2016

Pleiotrophin, a paracrine regulator of hematopoietic stem cell fate

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of California - Los Angeles · 2014 - 2015

Copper reduction as a novel therapy in BRAF-mutant positive cancers

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2013 - 2015

Reducing dietary copper for the treatment of BRaf mutation-positive melanoma

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2013 - 2015

JUN PROTEINS IN EPIDERMAL HOMEOSTASIS AND NEOPLASIA

ResearchCollaborator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2010 - 2015

Instrumentation for Quantitative Phosphoproteomics and Acetylomics

EquipmentMajor User · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2014 - 2015

Evaluating the impact of KRas codon bias on pancreatic cancer

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2012 - 2014

The role of RalA in pancreatic tumorigenesis

ResearchMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2008 - 2013

Small molecular weight eNOS inhibitors for the treatment of pancreatic cancer

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2011 - 2013

Preclinical evaluation of NOS inhibitors for the treatment of pancreatic cancer

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2009 - 2011

NF-kB, CDK4 and JNK in Epidermal Growth Regulation

ResearchCo-Mentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2005 - 2010

The Molecular Basis of Telomerase Function & Regulation

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1999 - 2009

Developing inhibitors of RalA function for the treatment of pancreatic cancer

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2007 - 2009

Targeting Functional Domains in Telomerase

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2002 - 2004

External Relationships


  • Duke NUS Graduate Medical School
  • Humacyte
  • Merlon Inc
  • University of Colorado Cancer Center

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported outside activities with the companies, institutions, or organizations listed above. This information is available to institutional leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts of interest.