The fields of genetics and genomics are incredibly powerful inter-related disciplines that are changing the world we live in. For example, the application of these disciplines to human health is transforming healthcare, and is frequently having an impact on the lives of many patients. Practically every facet of human health is affected in some way by the interactions between our genes and the environment. Indeed, gene/environment interactions are an important part of research being done in the Department of Pathology.
Not only is the genetic material of our cells (our DNA) passed from one generation to the next, every cell type in our body has its own “epigenome”, which is comprised of reversible modifications to the DNA, and acts like the software in a computer to deploy the programme encoded in the DNA of our cells. This is the new and exciting field of epigenetics, which adds yet another layer to fully understand how genes interact with the environment.
Laboratories involved in Genetics and Epigenetics:
- Chatterjee Laboratory: Epigenetics, Disease and Phenotype
- Cunliffe Laboratory: Molecular Oncology
- Eccles Laboratory: Developmental Genetics and Pathology
- Horsfield Laboratory: Chromosome Structure & Development
- Markie Laboratory: Molecular Genetics
- Morison Laboratory: Epigenetics and Cancer
- Robertson Laboratory: Clinical Genetics