Biography

Dr. Kratz received an M.D. from Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany, where he subsequently completed his training in Pediatrics in 2002. During his residency, he received a Mildred-Scheel-Foundation grant for a post-doctoral research fellowship in the Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, where he conducted molecular studies on childhood myeloid malignancies. Between 2003 and 2008, he worked in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Freiburg, Germany, where he became a board-certified Attending Physician in Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. In parallel, he conducted genetic research studies focusing on childhood myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative disorders, and childhood cancer predisposition syndromes. In recognition of his intensive academic activities, the University of Freiburg awarded him the title of Professor of Pediatrics in 2009. In 2008, he became clinical leader of the Department of Pediatric Oncology in New Zealand's capital Wellington. In the summer of 2009, he came to the National Cancer Institute's Clinical Genetic Branch. His major research interests are childhood cancer predisposition syndromes, inherited bone marrow failure syndromes, familial/hereditary cancers, childhood myelodysplastic syndrome and myeloproliferative disorders, as well as developmental disorders that are caused by germline mutations in cancer-related genes. Dr. Kratz was responsible for identifying germline mutations in the KRAS oncogene as causes of two related developmental disorders, Noonan syndrome and cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome.

Research

Dr. Kratz is assuming responsibility for CGB's multidisciplinary etiologic study of Familial Testicular Cancer (NCI Protocol 02-C-0178), as its Principal Investigator. Dr. Kratz also joined CGB's Inherited Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes project (NCI Protocol 02-C-0052) as Co-Principal Investigator, with specific responsibility for the Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome, Diamond-Blackfan Anemia and Thrombocytopenia-Absent Radius families in this cohort. He is also developing a series of new research protocols targeting Noonan syndrome, Costello syndrome, juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia and pediatric myelodysplastic syndrome.

Selected Publications

• Boztug K, Appaswamy G, Ashikov A, Schäffer AA, Salzer U, Diestelhorst J, Germeshausen M, Brandes G, Lee-Gossler J, Noyan F, Gatzke AK, Minkov M, Greil J, Kratz C, Petropoulou T, Pellier I, Bellanné-Chantelot C, Rezaei N, Mönkemöller K, Irani-Hakimeh N, Bakker H, Gerardy-Schahn R, Zeidler C, Grimbacher B, Welte K, Klein C. A syndrome with congenital neutropenia and mutations in G6PC3. N Engl J Med 2009 Jan 1;360(1):32-43.
• Kratz CP, Zampino G, Kriek M, Kant SG, Leoni C, Pantaleoni F, Oudesluys-Murphy AM, Di Rocco C, Kloska SP, Tartaglia M, Zenker M. Craniosynostosis in patients with Noonan syndrome caused by germline KRAS mutations. Am J Med Genet A 2009 May;149A(5):1036-40.
• Kratz CP, Niemeyer CM, Karow A, Volz-Fleckenstein M, Schmitt-Gräff A, Strahm B. Congenital transfusion-dependent anemia and thrombocytopenia with myelodysplasia due to a recurrent GATA1(G208R) germline mutation. Leukemia 2008 Feb;22(2):432-4.
• Niemeyer CM, Kratz CP. Childhood myelodysplastic syndromes. Br J Haematol 2008;140:610-24.
• Kratz CP, Steinemann D, Niemeyer CM, Schlegelberger B, Koscielniak E, Kontny U, Zenker M. Uniparental disomy at chromosome 11p15.5 followed by HRAS mutations in embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma: lessons from Costello syndrome. Hum Mol Genet 2007 Feb 15;16(4):374-9.
• Kratz CP, Niemeyer CM, Zenker M. An unexpected new role of mutant Ras: perturbation of human embryonic development. J Mol Med 2007 Mar;85(3):227-35. Review.
• Schubbert S, Zenker M, Rowe SL, Böll S, Klein C, Bollag G, van der Burgt I, Musante L, Kalscheuer V, Wehner LE, Nguyen H, West B, Zhang KY, Sistermans E, Rauch A, Niemeyer CM, Shannon K, Kratz CP. Germline KRAS mutations cause Noonan syndrome. Nat Genet 2006 Mar;38(3):331-6.
• Ortmann CA, Niemeyer CM, Wawer A, Ebell W, Baumann I, Kratz CP. TERC mutations in children with refractory cytopenia. Haematologica 2006 May;91(5):707-8.
• Kratz CP, Niemeyer CM, Castleberry RP, Cetin M, Bergsträsser E, Emanuel PD, Hasle H, Kardos G, Klein C, Kojima S, Stary J, Trebo M, Zecca M, Gelb BD, Tartaglia M, Loh ML. The mutational spectrum of PTPN11 in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia and Noonan syndrome/myeloproliferative disease. Blood 2005 Sep 15;106(6):2183-5.
• Zhang Q, Zhao B, Li W, Oiso N, Novak EK, Rusiniak ME, Gautam R, Chintala S, O'Brien EP, Zhang Y, Roe BA, Elliott RW, Eicher EM, Liang P, Kratz C, Legius E, Spritz RA, O'Sullivan TN, Copeland NG, Jenkins NA, Swank RT. Ru2 and Ru encode mouse orthologs of the genes mutated in human Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome types 5 and 6. Nat Genet 2003 Feb;33(2):145-53.