Cell and Gene Therapy

Track 17: Molecular Epigenetics

Epigenetics is rising to eminence in biology as a mechanism by which environmental factors have intermediate-term effects on gene expression without changing the underlying genetic sequence. It can occur through the specific methylation of DNA bases and modification of histones. There are wide-feeding implications for the gene-environment contest and epigenetic mechanisms are causing a revaluation of many traditional concepts such as heritability. The reversible nature of epigenetics also provides conceivable treatment or prevention prospects for diseases previously thought hard-coded into the gene. Therefore, we consider how growing knowledge of epigenetics is altering our understanding of biology and medicine, and its implications for future research.