No Biopsy? No Problem! – Detecting Pancreatic Cancer from Cell-Free DNA 5hmC ProfilingNovember 13, 2020Want to detect the development of pancreatic cancer and improve patient outcomes but don’t have any tissue biopsies? An exciting new epigenetics study that employed liquid biopsies to detect 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) on circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) to allow the early detection of pancreatic cancer now says: “No Problem!” Researchers at Bluestar Genomics (San Diego, CA, USA), […]
Epitranscriptomic tRNA Study Finally Reveals the “Y” of Aggressive Colon TumorsAugust 25, 2020Away with you Holmes, begone Poirot, and bye-bye Nancy Drew, because a terrific team of epigenetic detectives has solved an epitranscriptomic cold case to reveal the “Y” of aggressive colon tumors by linking CpG island promoter DNA hypermethylation of a key epitranscriptomic modifier and a transfer RNA (tRNA) modification to tumorigenesis. Epitranscriptomics includes the modification […]
Cell free DNA MeDIP-seq is a Molecular Methylation Magnet for Machine Learning Cancer DetectionAugust 7, 2020Finding the cell free DNA (cfDNA) that most cell-types release into blood plasma is always a challenging task, but certain cancers release so little that it takes looking for a needle in a haystack to the next level. Methods for sorting the “hay” have often come up short, but two new studies successfully developed a […]
Epigenetic Study Suggests that the Safety of Vaping is Running on FumesMarch 2, 2020With as many flavors as there are epigenetic modifications, vaping has arrived on the scene as a safer alternative to the smoking of cigarettes and a means to give up a rather unhealthy habit. However, the rise in vaping-related lung injuries and the “unforeseen” massive uptake of vaping by teenagers have prompted scientists to undertake […]
Biotechnology Development and Cancer Epigenomics with Dr. Martin HirstDecember 20, 2019Dr. Martin Hirst from the University of British Columbia discusses his lab’s epigenomic research focused on biotechnology development and cancer at the 2019 joint CEEHRC/IHEC meeting.
Deciphering the Warburg Effect: The Metabolic By-product Lactate Modifies HistonesNovember 14, 2019Like the energy drink cans and protein bar wrappers that litter the table after an epic writing session, by-products generally represent undesirable items created during the generation of a more desirable object. Recycling can put some writing by-products to further use, and studies have now highlighted that biological by-products derived from cellular metabolism can also […]
Mutant DNMT3A Underperforms in Overgrowth SyndromeJune 25, 2019If you’re underperforming at work, you might end up with a rejected paper, failed experiments, or an angry boss. However, this isn’t so bad when compared to how mutated DNMT3A underperforms in its role as a DNA methyltransferase, since that can result in a pathogenic overgrowth known as Tatton-Brown-Rahman syndrome (TBRS). Despite DNMT3A’s known role […]
Heterochromatin Finds an Alternative Way to Lengthen TelomeresJune 15, 2019We recently advised our readers to “think different” when it came to the epigenetic control of maintenance in alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) cells, and now, a team of “out-of-the-box” thinkers from the lab of Jérôme Déjardin (Université de Montpellier, France) have described an unconventional link between ALT and telomeric heterochromatin formation. Previous results have […]
eBook: Cancer and EpigeneticsMay 15, 2019Changes in epigenetic regulation are hallmarks of the transition from normal to cancerous cells. Exploration of the role of epigenetics in cancer has proven to be informative for better understanding both cancer and epigenetic mechanisms. In this EpiGenie ebook, we present summaries of several studies on exploring the role of specific epigenetic processes in cancer. […]
If You Like Piña Coladas, and tRNAs: Unique Relationships Between tRFs and mRNAsMay 6, 2019It can be tough to find a significant other that checks all the boxes: smart, funny, and into epigenetics. But if you think your relationship is tough to figure out, just wait until you see the relationship between tRNA derived fragments and mRNAs. New research from the lab of Isidore Rigoutsos (Thomas Jefferson University, USA) […]
