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Stephen Xavier Skapek

Instructor in the Department of Pediatrics
Pediatrics, Transplant and Cellular Therapy

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Instructor in the Department of Pediatrics · 2024 - Present Pediatrics, Transplant and Cellular Therapy, Pediatrics
Member of of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2024 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers

Recent Publications


An imbalance between proliferation and differentiation underlies the development of microRNA-defective pineoblastoma.

Journal Article Genes Dev · June 2, 2025 Mutations in the microRNA processing genes DROSHA and DICER1 drive several cancers that resemble embryonic progenitors. To understand how microRNAs regulate tumorigenesis, we ablated Drosha or Dicer1 in the developing pineal gland to emulate the pathogenes ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Novel Approach to Harnessing Acoustic A-Lines to Detect Circulating Tumor Cells in Flowing Blood.

Journal Article Nano Lett · December 11, 2024 Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are associated with tumor burden and treatment response and, as hallmarks of the initiation of tumor dissemination, can predict the likelihood of metastatic progression before widespread tumors can be detected by standard ana ... Full text Link to item Cite

Germline Genetic Testing and Survival Outcomes Among Children With Rhabdomyosarcoma: A Report From the Children's Oncology Group.

Journal Article JAMA Netw Open · March 4, 2024 IMPORTANCE: Determining the impact of germline cancer-predisposition variants (CPVs) on outcomes could inform novel approaches to testing and treating children with rhabdomyosarcoma. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether CPVs are associated with outcome among child ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Evaluation of FANCM as a specific dependency in PAX3::FOXO1 rhabdomyosarcoma

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Hyundai Hope on Wheels · 2025 - 2027

Nominating vulnerabilities in fusion oncoprotein-driven rhabdomyosarcoma

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2026

Liquid biopsy approaches to inform neuroblastoma prognosis and disease monitoring

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of Chicago · 2024 - 2026

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Education, Training & Certifications


Duke University, School of Medicine · 1988 M.D.
Duke University · 1984 B.A.