Epigenetics: New tool for precision medicine

[Effi]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160627124428.htm

Four new papers, co-published by an international consortium of biomedical researchers, mark the feasibility of epigenetic analysis for clinical diagnostics and precision medicine. Epigenetic analysis addresses key limitations of genetic testing, helping to ensure that patients are accurately diagnosed and treated with the right drug at the right time.
(...)
In many diseases, including all cancers, the epigenetic control of the genome is heavily distorted. Measuring these alterations provides a detailed picture of the disease-specific changes, which is often informative for distinguishing disease subtypes or identifying suitable treatments. Therefore, epigenetics has much to offer for improving disease diagnosis and treatment choice.

The four papers:

1. Chromatin accessibility maps of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia identify subtype-specific epigenome signatures and transcription regulatory networks.
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2016/160627/ncomms11938/full/ncomms11938.html

2.Information recovery from low coverage whole-genome bisulfite sequencing.
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2016/160627/ncomms11306/full/ncomms11306.html

3. Saturation analysis for whole-genome bisulfite sequencing data.
http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nbt.3524.html

4. Quantitative comparison of DNA methylation assays for biomarker development and clinical applications.
http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nbt.3605.html

 

[Skippa]

Amazing book if anyone wants to get a grounding in the mechanisms and importance of epigenetics:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Epigenetic...F8&qid=1467202829&sr=8-1&keywords=epigenetics

(Perhaps someone could kindly turn the link into the PR affiliate link please?)