WEBINAR: The epigenome in normal human placental development and its dysregulation in preeclampsia

9:00 AM PT, 11:00 AM CT, 12:00 PM ET

Epigenetics defines the set of distinct and heritable molecular mechanisms able to influence gene expression without altering the primary genetic sequence. Common epigenetic factors include DNA modifications (methylation or hydroxymethylation), chromatin modifications (histone methylation or acetylation), and non-coding RNA expression (micro RNA or long non-coding RNA transcripts). The past decade has seen a marked increase in the number of scientific publications focusing on epigenetics research. As a result, the basic understanding as to how epigenetic pathways interact with diverse and consistently changing cellular environments to help regulate gene expression has grown as well. When normal epigenetic pathway function is disrupted, disease may result.

This webinar highlights two specific areas of biomedical research in which the dysregulation of epigenetic mechanisms play prominent roles in disease etiology. The first presenter, Dr. Peter Jones, will discuss the complex role that epigenetics dysfunction plays in cancer progression and how recent findings suggest novel avenues to exploit for therapeutic development. The second presenter, Dr. Than, explains how the developing placenta can be influenced by the surrounding maternal environment and identifies altered DNA methylation patterns at specific gene loci associated with prenatal health indications. The potential role for disease diagnostics will also be discussed.

Learning objectives:

• Attendees will learn how epigenetics plays an important role in cancer and how those mechanisms might be exploited for therapeutic benefit.
• Attendees will learn how epigenetics can influence prenatal health during pregnancy.