Mayo Clinic researcher Fergus Couch, Ph.D., has spent his career studying inherited breast cancer and cancer genetics. Early on, he saw that many families lived with uncertainty of their cancer risk, especially when genetic tests revealed variants no one fully understood. 

He set out to change that.  

Dr. Couch is a consultant in laboratory medicine and pathology at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center and holds the Zbigniew and Anna M. Scheller Professorship in Medical Research in Honor of Dr. Thomas J. McDonald. 

Mayo Clinic works with an international network of collaborators, which includes Dr. Couch and his team, who have helped identify many inherited gene alterations that contribute to breast cancer risk.  

"We interact on a thematic level — surgeons, oncologists, pathologists, geneticists and biochemists," Dr. Couch shares. "We all work together, focused on improving our knowledge of breast cancer and quickly developing treatments and cures for patients at Mayo Clinic." 

Earlier this year, Dr. Couch and other co-authors published a study in Nature, which included one of the most comprehensive functional maps to date of the BRCA2 cancer risk gene.  

By testing nearly every possible change in this gene, Mayo Clinic researchers can identify which patients are more likely to benefit from targeted cancer therapies.  

The work reclassifies previously uncertain genetic test results, helping care teams individualize cancer screening, prevention and treatment. Together, it shows how Mayo Clinic is turning complex genetic data into information clinicians can use now, a central goal of precision medicine. 

"It's the extra step that makes the difference, helping people use the findings immediately," Dr. Couch says. "The results of our paper are used to help patients in the clinic. My entire career has been focused on getting information to patients as quickly as possible." 

Today, Dr. Couch continues to explore why certain inherited changes lead to cancer, why some families develop breast cancer without known risk genes and how discoveries in the lab can translate to improved care. Just this month, Dr. Couch won the prestigious Komen Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in Basic Science for his significant work in advancing breast cancer research. 

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About Mayo Clinic 
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education and research, and providing compassion, expertise and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit the Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.  

About Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center 
Designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center is defining new boundaries in possibility, focusing on patient-centered care, developing novel treatments, training future generations of cancer experts, and bringing cancer research to communities. At Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, a culture of innovation and collaboration is driving research breakthroughs that are changing approaches to cancer prevention, screening and treatment, and improving the lives of cancer survivors. Visit the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center Blog for news, information and stories from Mayo Clinic's cancer experts and patients.  

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