Cathy D. Vocke, Ph.D.
- Center for Cancer Research
- National Cancer Institute
- Building 10, Room 1-5888
- Bethesda, MD
- 240-858-3951
- vockec@mail.nih.gov
RESEARCH SUMMARY
Dr. Vocke’s focus is the genetics of hereditary kidney cancer syndromes. She is involved with discovery and characterization of germline and somatic alterations in genes associated with kidney cancer, including next-gen and whole genome approaches as well as direct sequencing. Dr. Vocke also heads the UOB Tissue Processing and Sequencing Facility, overseeing procurement, preservation, storage, and annotation of all biospecimens, including blood and surgical tissues, obtained from UOB patients. These biospecimens provide an essential resource for many UOB research projects.
Areas of Expertise
Research
One of the prime goals of the Urologic Oncology Branch (UOB) is the identification and characterization of the tumorigenesis pathways of human genitourinary malignancies. Dr. Vocke is involved in many facets of these studies, including the genetic, genomic, and molecular characterization of renal tumors and other benign and malignant lesions from known renal cancer syndromes including VHL, BHD, HRLCC, HPRC, SDH Kidney Cancer, and renal cancer involving germline mutations in the BAP1 and PTEN genes, as well as tumors from patients with no germline mutation in the known renal cancer syndrome genes. She is also involved in the discovery of novel genes that cause hereditary renal cancer syndromes using both whole genome/next-gen and standard sequencing techniques.
As Head of the Tissue Processing/Sequencing Core (TPSC), Dr. Vocke oversees the collection, handling, and storage of every biospecimen, such as tissue and blood, generated within the UOB. She coordinates the provision of samples for UOB researchers and outside collaborators to utilize in their investigative research, including for clinical trials of targeted molecular therapeutic agents. In addition, the core establishes short-term and long-term cell lines and mouse xenograft models from selected samples. Many of the lines have been described in published papers, and have been requested from researchers worldwide.
Publications
Germline Mutation in a Family With Mixed Epithelial and Stromal Tumors
The Cancer Genome Atlas Comprehensive Molecular Characterization of Renal Cell Carcinoma
Comprehensive genomic and phenotypic characterization of germline FH deletion in hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma
Succinate dehydrogenase kidney cancer: an aggressive example of the Warburg effect in cancer
High frequency of somatic frameshift BHD gene mutations in Birt-Hogg-Dubé-associated renal tumors
Biography
Cathy D. Vocke, Ph.D.
Dr. Vocke received her B.S. with Distinction from Cornell University, and her Ph.D. in microbiology and genetics from Duke University. Her Ph.D. research focused on regulation of DNA replication. For this work she received the Norman Francis Conant Research Award in 1984. She then did a postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University, studying developmental gene regulation in the cellular slime molds. She joined the NCI in Dr. Linehan’s Urologic Oncology Section, now Branch, in 1992. Her initial research in the UOB focused on the search for prostate cancer tumor suppressor genes, and more recently she has focused primarily on the identification and characterization of genes involved in kidney cancer.