Titles and Affiliations
Robert and Kate Niehaus Chair in Inherited Cancer Genomics
Member, Cancer Biology and Genetics Program
Vice Chairman, Academic Affairs
Chief, Clinical Genetics Service
Research area
Identifying new causes of inherited breast and ovarian cancer and increasing knowledge and awareness of personal risk.
Impact
In addition to the BRCA genes, many other genes, when mutated, can also raise the risk of breast cancer. Dr. Offit’s laboratory discovered the most common BRCA2 mutation and was among the first to identify the most common BRCA1 mutation linked to hereditary cancer. His work focuses on discovering new genetic pathways that drive inherited cancer risk, developing treatments that target these pathways, and expanding access to genetic testing so families can better understand their personal risk.
Progress Thus Far
Dr. Offit and his team created new laboratory models, giving researchers a stable system to replicate how cancer develops in people with inherited mutations and test potential treatments. A key focus of this work is understanding “modifier genes,” genes that can raise or lower the chance that a BRCA mutation actually leads to cancer. The team identified one such gene, STARD13, as a likely modifier of breast cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, with the goal of eventually developing drugs that could lower this risk. Using artificial intelligence, the team also built a predictive tool that combines a person’s genetic and lifestyle factors to estimate their risk of developing a second cancer, which has been applied to predict pancreatic or ovarian cancer risk after a breast cancer diagnosis.
What’s next
Dr. Offit will study STARD13 further using advanced tools that that allow his team to edit specific genes and examine their effects in individual cells, to better understand how it contributes to cancer risk. They will continue refining their AI-powered models to predict second cancers and developing digital tools to help families communicate about inherited cancer risk. The overarching goal is precision prevention, using new targeted therapies, earlier detection, and better-informed screening to reduce cancer risk for people with inherited genetic risk.
Biography
Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH is Chief of the Clinical Genetics Service in the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). He is also Professor of Medicine and Public Health at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and Vice Chairman of the Program in Prevention, Control and Population Research at MSKCC. He received his AB at Princeton University and his MD and MPH from the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He was awarded an American Cancer Society Career Research Recognition Award and the 2013 ASCO American Cancer Society Award for research in cancer prevention. Dr Offit is a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Cancer Institute, and of the Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention working group of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. In 2025, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Offit’s research team identified the most common mutation associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in those of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. His group also published the first prospective study documenting a decreased risk of breast and ovarian cancer following oophorectomy in women carrying inherited mutations of the BRCA genes, and the first genome wide association study of BRCA2 mutation carriers. Dr. Offit’s group has discovered or characterized inherited mutations associated with risk of breast, ovarian, colon cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and other malignancies. His laboratory currently focuses on utilizing genomic approaches to discover novel mechanisms associated with increased risk for common malignancies, or which modify the risks of known hereditary predispositions.
