{"entity":{"id":"kenneth-kinzler","kind":"person","name":"Kenneth W. Kinzler","aka":[],"tldr":"Co-discovered APC, the gatekeeper gene of colorectal cancer, and co-led the first cancer genome sequences.","summary":"Kenneth W. Kinzler is Professor of Oncology and Co-Director of the Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is known for co-discovering APC, the gatekeeper gene of colorectal cancer, and for co-leading the first cancer genome sequences with his long-time partner Bert Vogelstein. His selected paper reports the identification of familial adenomatous polyposis locus genes from chromosome 5q21. He also developed the digital PCR and Safe-SeqS methods behind liquid biopsy, and continues to work on APC and Wnt signalling and genome sequencing.","asOf":"2026-09-08","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_W._Kinzler","links":[{"label":"Ludwig Center","url":"https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/kimmel-cancer-center/research/ludwig-center"},{"label":"PubMed","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kinzler%20KW%5BAuthor%5D"}],"tags":[],"related":[],"cancers":["colorectal"],"sections":[],"technologies":["liquid-biopsy"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":["johns-hopkins"],"pathways":["wnt"],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"role":"Professor of Oncology; Co-Director, Ludwig Center","institutionId":"johns-hopkins","specialisms":["Cancer genetics","APC and Wnt signalling","Genome sequencing"],"profiles":[{"label":"Ludwig Center","url":"https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/kimmel-cancer-center/research/ludwig-center"},{"label":"PubMed","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kinzler%20KW%5BAuthor%5D"}],"papers":[{"title":"Identification of FAP locus genes from chromosome 5q21","journal":"Science","year":1991,"url":"https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1651174","doi":"10.1126/science.1651174"},{"title":"Cancer genome landscapes: about 140 driver genes, and each tumour needs only a handful","journal":"Science","year":2013,"url":"https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1235122","doi":"10.1126/science.1235122"},{"title":"DETECT-A: a blood test plus PET-CT found treatable cancers in 10,000 women with no symptoms","journal":"Science","year":2020,"url":"https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abb9601","doi":"10.1126/science.abb9601"},{"title":"DYNAMIC: a blood test safely halved chemotherapy use after surgery for stage II colon cancer","journal":"New England Journal of Medicine","year":2022,"url":"https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2200075","doi":"10.1056/NEJMoa2200075"}],"orcid":"0000-0001-5591-1176"},"route":"/people/kenneth-kinzler/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"colorectal","kind":"cancer","name":"Colorectal cancer","route":"/cancers/colorectal/"}],"technology":[{"id":"liquid-biopsy","kind":"technology","name":"Liquid biopsy (ctDNA)","route":"/technologies/liquid-biopsy/"}],"institution":[{"id":"johns-hopkins","kind":"institution","name":"Johns Hopkins Hospital / Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center","route":"/institutions/johns-hopkins/"},{"id":"lustgarten-foundation","kind":"institution","name":"Lustgarten Foundation","route":"/institutions/lustgarten-foundation/"}],"pathway":[{"id":"wnt","kind":"pathway","name":"Wnt / β-catenin","route":"/pathways/wnt/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-vogelstein-cancer-genome-landscapes-science-2013","kind":"paper","name":"Cancer genome landscapes: about 140 driver genes, and each tumour needs only a handful","route":"/key-papers/paper-vogelstein-cancer-genome-landscapes-science-2013/"},{"id":"paper-tie-ctdna-minimal-residual-disease-stage-ii-colon-sci-transl-med-2016","kind":"paper","name":"Circulating tumor DNA analysis detects minimal residual disease and predicts recurrence in patients with stage II colon cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-tie-ctdna-minimal-residual-disease-stage-ii-colon-sci-transl-med-2016/"},{"id":"paper-jones-pancreatic-core-pathways-science-2008","kind":"paper","name":"Core signaling pathways in human pancreatic cancers revealed by global genomic analyses","route":"/key-papers/paper-jones-pancreatic-core-pathways-science-2008/"},{"id":"paper-detect-a-science-2020","kind":"paper","name":"DETECT-A: a blood test plus PET-CT found treatable cancers in 10,000 women with no symptoms","route":"/key-papers/paper-detect-a-science-2020/"},{"id":"paper-cohen-cancerseek-multi-analyte-blood-test-science-2018","kind":"paper","name":"Detection and localization of surgically resectable cancers with a multi-analyte blood test","route":"/key-papers/paper-cohen-cancerseek-multi-analyte-blood-test-science-2018/"},{"id":"paper-yachida-metastasis-late-genetic-evolution-pancreatic-nature-2010","kind":"paper","name":"Distant metastasis occurs late during the genetic evolution of pancreatic cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-yachida-metastasis-late-genetic-evolution-pancreatic-nature-2010/"},{"id":"paper-dynamic-nejm-2022","kind":"paper","name":"DYNAMIC: a blood test safely halved chemotherapy use after surgery for stage II colon cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-dynamic-nejm-2022/"},{"id":"paper-vogelstein-genetic-alterations-colorectal-tumor-development-nejm-1988","kind":"paper","name":"Genetic alterations during colorectal-tumor development","route":"/key-papers/paper-vogelstein-genetic-alterations-colorectal-tumor-development-nejm-1988/"},{"id":"paper-lengauer-genetic-instability-colorectal-nature-1997","kind":"paper","name":"Genetic instability in colorectal cancers","route":"/key-papers/paper-lengauer-genetic-instability-colorectal-nature-1997/"},{"id":"paper-markowitz-tgfbr2-inactivation-msi-colon-science-1995","kind":"paper","name":"Inactivation of the type II TGF-beta receptor in colon cancer cells with microsatellite instability","route":"/key-papers/paper-markowitz-tgfbr2-inactivation-msi-colon-science-1995/"},{"id":"paper-herman-mlh1-promoter-hypermethylation-colorectal-pnas-1998","kind":"paper","name":"Incidence and functional consequences of hMLH1 promoter hypermethylation in colorectal carcinoma","route":"/key-papers/paper-herman-mlh1-promoter-hypermethylation-colorectal-pnas-1998/"},{"id":"paper-le-mmr-deficiency-pd1-nejm-2015","kind":"paper","name":"Le 2015: PD-1 blockade works in tumours with mismatch-repair deficiency, whatever the organ","route":"/key-papers/paper-le-mmr-deficiency-pd1-nejm-2015/"},{"id":"paper-diaz-molecular-evolution-egfr-resistance-colorectal-nature-2012","kind":"paper","name":"The molecular evolution of acquired resistance to targeted EGFR blockade in colorectal cancers","route":"/key-papers/paper-diaz-molecular-evolution-egfr-resistance-colorectal-nature-2012/"},{"id":"paper-wu-pancreatic-cyst-exomes-rnf43-pnas-2011","kind":"paper","name":"Whole-exome sequencing of neoplastic cysts of the pancreas reveals recurrent mutations in components of ubiquitin-dependent pathways","route":"/key-papers/paper-wu-pancreatic-cyst-exomes-rnf43-pnas-2011/"}],"term":[{"id":"driver-passenger-model","kind":"term","name":"Driver and passenger mutations: the refined somatic mutation theory","route":"/terms/driver-passenger-model/"},{"id":"somatic-mutation-theory","kind":"term","name":"Somatic mutation theory of cancer","route":"/terms/somatic-mutation-theory/"}]}}