Environmental Epigenomics and Precision Environmental Health (NIEHS R35 Grant).

The epigenome exists to instruct our DNA, the genome, on how it is supposed to function. Research has revealed epigenetic programming is heavily influenced by key developmental periods, and that the epigenome is vulnerable to environmental factors.

Epigenetic tools are instrumental in evaluating the effects of exposures on the epigenome and advancing precision environmental health, including therapeutics to treat a broad array of environmental and epigenetic diseases. Epigenetic changes to DNA are associated with aging (e.g. increased genomic instability), disease (e.g. Rett syndrome, cancer), and environmental influences (e.g. nutrition, toxicants). The DoGoods lab team is identifying changes in DNA, non-coding RNA, chromatin structure, and gene expression after exposure to metals or plasticizers, with the goal of developing epigenome editing as a therapeutic tool to treat environmental and epigenetic diseases including cancer.