John Carethers

Dr. Carethers received his B.S. degree in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry from Wayne State University, and his M.D. with high distinction from the same institution. Dr. Carethers did his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by a fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of Michigan. He was then recruited to the University of California San Diego where he grew his laboratory-based research in the area of DNA mismatch repair and colorectal cancer pathogenesis, saw medicine and gastroenterology patients, including serving as the main physician for hereditary colon cancer referrals in Southern California. He served in leadership roles including the gastroenterology fellowship director, the gastroenterology Section Chief for the San Diego VA Hospital, then Division Chief for UC San Diego before being recruited to Michigan as Chair of Internal Medicine. He was the founding Director of the NIH-funded UCSD Gastroenterology Center grant, and was the director of the gastroenterology T32 training grant. His laboratory research continues to be funded by the NIH. Dr. Carethers also has interests in colorectal cancer disparities as it relates to genetics and outcomes. He is the former PI of the SDSU/UCSD Cancer Center Comprehensive Partnership U54 grant, which addresses cancer disparities. He has published over 200 manuscripts and book chapters. He recently completed the role of Senior Associate Editor for Gastroenterology, the highest impact GI journal. He completed a 2-year appointment on the National Commission for Digestive Diseases, a U.S. Congressional Commission after his appointment by Elias Zerhouni, M.D., then Director of the NIH. He was elected a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and elected a member of the American Association of Physicians (AAP), and serves on the AAP Council and will be President beginning April 2018. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine in 2012, and elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2016. He was named the C. Richard Boland Distinguished University Professor at the University of Michigan as of September 2017.

Areas of Interest

Dr. Carethers' research interests include familial cancer and polyposis syndromes, mechanisms of tumor progression, tumor genetics, tumor markers, DNA mismatch repair, molecular pathology, TGF-beta superfamily signaling in cancer progression, and colorectal cancer disparities.

Clinical Interests

Dr. Carethers' clinical interests are familial colon cancer syndromes, including familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), Gardner, Peutz-Jeghers, Lynch, hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), juvenile polyposis, hyperplastic polyposis, and colorectal cancer.

Honors & Awards

• 2008 Elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI)
• 2011 Elected to the Association of American Physicians (AAP)
• 2012-2017 Elected AAP Councilor
• 2012 Elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) (formerly Institute of Medicine (IOM), National Academy of Sciences)
• 2014-2017 A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute Taubman Scholar
• 2014 Laureate Award, Michigan Chapter of the American College of Physicians
• 2014 Wayne State University School of Medicine Ambassador Award
• 2014 Elected to the American Clinical and Climatological Association (ACCA)
• 2015 Wayne State University School of Medicine Distinguished Alumni Award
• 2015 Elected as Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences
• 2016 American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Gastrointestinal Oncology Section Research Mentor Award
• 2016 Elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (AAAS)
• 2016 Elected to Mastership, American College of Physicians (MACP)

Published Articles or Reviews

1. Carethers JM. Hereditary, sporadic and metastatic colorectal cancers are commonly driven by specific spectrums of defective DNA mismatch repair components. Trans Am Clin Climatol Assoc 127:81-97, 2016.

2. Basa RCB, Davies V, Li X, Murali B, Shah J, Yang B, Li S, Khan MW, Tian M, Tejada R, Hassan A, Washington A, Mukherjee B, Carethers JM*, McGuire KL*. Decreased anti-tumor cytotoxic immunity among colon cancers from African Americans. (*co-senior authors) PLoS One 11(6): e0156660, 2016.

3. Munakata K, Uemura M, Tanaka S, Kawai K, Kano Y, Nishikawa S, Fukusumi T, Takahashi Y, Hata T, Nishimura J, Takemasa I, Mizushima T, Ikenaga M, Kato T, Murat K, Carethers JM, Yamamoto H, Doki Y, Mori M. Cancer stem-like properties in colorectal cancer cells with low proteasome activity. Clin Cancer Res 22:5277-5386, 2016.

4. Suzuki S, Iwaizumi M, Tseng-Rogenski S, Hamaya Y, Miyajima H, Kanaoka S, Sugimoto K, Carethers JM. Production of truncated MBD4 protein by frameshift mutation in DNA mismatch repair-deficient cells enhances 5-fluorouracil sensitivity that is independent of hMLH1 status. Cancer Biol Ther 17:760-780, 2016.

5. Tang B, Chow JY, Dong TX, Yang S-M, Lu D-S, Carethers JM*, Dong H*. Calcium sensing receptor suppresses human pancreatic tumorigenesis through a novel NCX1/Ca2+/β-catenin signaling pathway. (*co-corresponding and senior authors) Cancer Lett 377:44-54, 2016.

6. Ashktorab H, Ahuja S, Kannan L, Llor X, Ellis N, Xicola RM, Adeyinka LO, Carethers JM, Brim H, Nouraie M. A meta-analysis of MSI frequency and race in colorectal cancer. Oncotarget 7:34546-34557, 2016.

7. Koi M, Garcia M, Choi C, Kim H-R, Koike J, Hemmi H, Nagasaka T, Okugawa Y, Toiyama Y, Kitajima T, Chen Y-H, Mukherjee B, Boland CR, Carethers JM. Microsatellite alterations with allelic loss on 9p24.2 signify less aggressive colorectal cancer metastasis. Gastroenterology 150:944-955, 2016.

8. Kupfer SS, Carr RM, Carethers JM. Reducing colorectal cancer risk among African Americans. Gastroenterology 149:1302-1304, 2015.

9. Carethers JM, Jung BH. Genetics and genetic biomarkers in sporadic colorectal cancer. Gastroenterology 149:1177-1190, 2015.

10. Carethers JM, Stoffel EM. Lynch syndrome and Lynch syndrome mimics: the growing complex landscape of hereditary colon cancer. World J Gastroenterology 21:9253-9261, 2015.

11. Hamaya Y, Guarinos C, Tseng-Rogenski SS, Iwaizumi M, Das R, Jover R, Castells A, Llor X, Andreu M, Carethers JM. Efficacy of 5-fluorouracil adjuvant therapy for patients with EMAST-positive stage II/III colorectal cancers. PLoS One 10(5):e0127591, 2015.

12. Carethers JM, Koi M, Tseng-Rogenski S. EMAST is a form of microsatellite instability that is initiated by inflammation and modulates colorectal cancer progression. Genes 6:185-205, 2015.

13. Tseng-Rogenski S, Hamaya Y, Choi D, Carethers JM. Interleukin 6 alters localization of hMSH3, leading to DNA mismatch repair defects in colorectal cancer cells. Gastroenterology 148:579-589, 2015.

14. Carethers JM. Screening for colorectal cancer in African Americans: Determinants and rationale for an earlier age to commence screening. Dig Dis Sci 60:711-21, 2015.