About this episode

The episode features a discussion with Alena van Bömmel about her research on epigenetic clocks and signatures in aging and cancer.

In this episode of the Epigenetics Podcast, we talked with Alena van Bömmel from the Biomedical Center (BMC) in Munich about her work on the development of interpretable epigenetic clocks and statistical models of epigenetic dynamics during aging, and the unique epigenetic signatures associated with various cancers, such as brain tumors or leukemias to detect powerful diagnostic markers or predictors of therapeutic response. The Interview starts with Dr. van Bömmel sharing her work on co-occurring transcription factors within cell-type specific enhancers, describing the pioneering use of DNA sequencing and its substantial implications in understanding chromatin accessibility. We explore the findings that revealed varying transcription factor interactions across cell types, emphasizing the complexity inherent in gene regulation. Although her research largely remained in silico, its findings paved the way for potential validation through advanced sequencing techniques. The discussion broadens to encompass Dr. van Bömmel's work on pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia, where she elaborates on the epigenetic dynamics observed in patient samples. We discuss her collaboration on a…

People in this episode

Guest: Alena van Bömmel

Topics covered

• epigenetics
• aging
• cancer
• diagnostic markers
• transcription factors
• DNA methylation

Keywords

• epigenetic clocks
• cancer subtypes
• transcription factors
• DNA sequencing
• methylation profiles
• chromatin accessibility
• pediatric leukemia

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Biomedical Center (BMC), Active Motif

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