Tag Archives: Translational research

Canada Joins the International Human Epigenome Consortium – Q&A with Tomi Pastinen of Génome Québec

Posted on October 31, 2012 by Chris Womack

In an ambitious project investigating the interplay of environment, disease, and epigenetics, Canada is funneling $41 million into epigenomics research. It’s a multi-pronged effort to scrutinize a variety of tissue samples, disease states, and responses to environmental insults, so I called up Tomi Pastinen, the Canada research chair in human genetics, to learn more about the project. Here’s a lightly edited transcript of our conversation. But first, more about the project itself. It’s Canada’s entrée into the International Human Epigenome Consortium, and its announcement last week follows closely on the heels of last year’s launch of a European IHEC effort, BLUEPRINT (see our interview with the project’s Henk Stunnenberg here). While BLUEPRINT focused on blood epigenomes, which is common in … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Models, Applications, DNA Methylation, Epigenome, Gene Regulation, Genomewide Methylation Profiling, Histone Modifications, Metabolism, Neuroscience, Next Gen Sequencing, Sodium Bisulfite Sequencing, Transcriptome | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q&A with BLUEPRINT’s Henk Stunnenberg on the New Leukemia, Blood Epigenome Project

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Chris Womack

The European Union’s $53.5 million, 4-year BLUEPRINT project launched this week with the ambitious goal of cataloging the epigenomes of 100 different cell types, with a focus on hematopoietic cells and leukemia disease states. The project is only the second such effort associated with the International Human Epigenome Consortium—the first being the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s Roadmap Epigenomics Mapping Consortium—and it’s composed of 41 research entities, including university labs, research institutes, and drug and diagnostics companies. BLUEPRINT coordinator Henk Stunnenberg, a professor of molecular biology at the Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, says the project may publish early work as soon as a year from now, and that the epigenomes it uncovers have the potential to generate diagnostics … Continue reading →

Posted in Applications, Biomarkers, Chromatin Structure, DNA Methylation, Diagnostics, Gene Regulation, Histone Modifications, New Lab Methods, Next Gen Sequencing, Sodium Bisulfite Sequencing, Translational Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Targeting an Epigenetic Biomarker for Fragile X

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Nicole Kelesoglu

Epigenetics is bringing a needed perspective to a important public health issue. Many people with Fragile X have autism, or symptoms of autism. The condition is associated with learning, physical, social and emotional, speech and language, and sensory problems. Applied Behavioral Analysis treatment (ABA) is a set of methods which can be used to target and modify problematic symptoms and behaviors. It is effective – but also an arduous task in treating the symptoms of autism. Wouldn’t it be great if there was an epigenetic drug treatment which could be used with ABA producing an enhanced, synergistic effect? Neuroscience experts call Fragile X syndrome a disease of synaptic plasticity. Neuropychologists have already determined that early intervention produces the most effective … Continue reading →

Posted in Autism, Clinical Studies, Neuroscience, Translational Research, X-linked | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment