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Predictive Epigenetics: Fusing Theory and Experiment

Descripción del proyecto

Combinación de epigenética teórica y experimental

Las modificaciones epigenéticas del ADN y la cromatina, como la metilación, la acetilación y la ubicuitinación de histonas, permiten la regulación génica que modula los estados de actividad de los genes. Las proteínas epigenéticas modifican miles de genes, incluidos los reguladores del desarrollo, los supresores tumorales y las moléculas de señalización. El campo de la epigenética está dominado y sobrepasado por la información debido a la gran cantidad de datos masivos generados. El objetivo del proyecto PEP-NET, financiado por las Acciones Marie Skłodowska-Curie, es llevar a cabo un cambio de paradigma en el tratamiento de la información generada a través de una combinación de epigenética teórica y experimental. La red de investigación del proyecto formará a jóvenes investigadores en el uso de experimentos cuantitativos con modelos teóricos predictivos y en la aplicación de este conocimiento para comprender las funciones epigenéticas.

Objetivo

Epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation are profoundly implicated in human health and disease. However, we are still far from a complete mechanistic understanding of many epigenetic processes. Without an understanding of mechanisms we cannot fully understand function in healthy cells, in disease states, and the effects and side effects of therapeutic interventions. This severely limits the development of healthcare strategies. Research in epigenetics has typically been based on experiments and not on theory. Although this has delivered large amounts of information, information alone is not sufficient. Further progress urgently needs a paradigm shift in the way in which we study epigenetics, namely: epigenetics needs mathematics. Mathematical models are essential to capture and understand the complex, dynamic and stochastic nature of epigenetic regulation. Models are immensely powerful because they identify unifying concepts and enable predictions of system properties. Modelling epigenetic processes not only holds the key to a deep mechanistic understanding, but also ultimately, to drug response predictions, patient-specific diagnoses and new therapies. One of the greatest challenges to uniting biology and mathematics is the barrier between disciplines, because education in each field has traditionally been mono-disciplinary. The PEP-NET ITN will overcome these barriers by uniting 16 outstanding European academic laboratories and companies who have pioneered the successful combination of theoretical and experimental epigenetics. PEP-NET will train a new cohort of 15 European researchers to combine quantitative experiments with predictive theoretical models, and to apply this knowledge to basic and applied questions of epigenetic function.

Palabras clave

Coordinador

HUMBOLDT-UNIVERSITAET ZU BERLIN
Aportación neta de la UEn
€ 758 365,20
Dirección
UNTER DEN LINDEN 6
10117 Berlin
Alemania

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Región
Berlin Berlin Berlin
Tipo de actividad
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Enlaces
Coste total
€ 758 365,20

Participantes (10)

Socios (5)