Research
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​Almost every cell in our body contains about 2 meters of linear DNA, which holds all the genes that define who we are and how we function. This DNA, known as the genome, is nearly identical in every cell, but it is not randomly packed within the nucleus. Additionally, this DNA and its associated factors acquire different chemical modifications to form the epigenome. The way the epigenome is packaged within the nucleus, also known as three-dimensional (3D) epi(genome) organization, plays a crucial role in regulating gene expression, in part by connecting distant regulatory elements to their target genes. This organization helps explain how cells with the same genetic information can exhibit different phenotypes and functions in both health and disease.
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Research Goals
1
Understanding the role and regulation of dynamic, cell type- and state-specific 3D epi(genome) organization in hematopoiesis.
2
Identifying alterations in 3D epi(genome) features that may contribute to the development and relapse of blood cancers.
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3
Gaining a mechanistic understanding of non-coding mutations in blood cancer to identify new biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
4
Deciphering how cancer cells educate the tumor microenvironment through 3D epigenome rewiring.
5
Develop new single-cell experimental and computational methods to study the 3D (epi)genome organization.