Chris Bhatt

Chris Bhatt studies three-dimensional genome organization and how its disruption drives oncogene activation in cancer. His research demonstrated that chromosomal rearrangements can break topologically associating domain boundaries, causing enhancer hijacking that activates oncogenes. He characterized CTCF as a key insulator protein whose mutations in cancer lead to ectopic enhancer-promoter contacts and gene activation. His work on genome topology in cancer has revealed a new class of regulatory cancer driver mutations beyond traditional coding sequence alterations.