Regulatory genomics
Office 1- 5 (first floor)
Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP)
Muntanya Building
Can Ruti CampusCtra de Can Ruti
Camí de les Escoles s/n08916 Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
Directions
Summary
Our long-term goal is to understand how gene expression and genome packaging is affected by genetic and epigenetic changes that happen during evolution, development and in disease, in particular cancer. Our research approach is to computationally analyse global datasets in order to understand general mechanisms
Research
We are currently interested in two fundamental questions that we are addressing using a combination of dry and wet-lab experiments. To address these questions, we team up with experts in complementary fields from other research institutes as well as hospitals.
First, we want to understand how epigenetic drug treatments affect gene expression, and chromatin at different contexts in the human genome. Epigenetic drugs currently used in the clinic include those for the treatment of patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome. Our work involves experiments on human cell lines as well as analyses of data from samples extracted from patients undergoing drug treatment. A better understanding of the effects of these drugs and how they work may lead in the future to more personalized treatments.
Second, we want to understand how information about our exposures to different environments may be encoded in molecules - other than DNA – inside germcells that are transmitted from parents to offspring. This trans/inter-generational transmission of epigenetic information can influence an organism’s phenotype, or disease risk. We are interested in understanding what molecules carry such information between generations and the mechanisms involved.
Teaching
2018 - present
Teaching collaborator on the Màster de bioinformàtica i bioestadística de la calidad, Open University of Catalonia/University of Barcelona
Awards
2015 Catalan Predoctoral Fellowship (AGAUR) to Eduard Casas
2015 Group favorably evaluated by the Ramon y Cajal I3 Programme
2014 Spanish National Postdoctoral Fellowship (MINECO) to Yulia Medvedeva
2014 Max Planck - Prince of Asturias Award Mobility Grant to Eduard Casas
2014 Group recognized by the Catalan Research Agency (AGAUR)
2014 EpiGeneSys Travel Fellowship to Eduard Casas
2013 Elected Associate Member of the EU Network of Excellence EpiGeneSys
2011 Spanish National Research Grant (MICINN)
2011 European Reintegration Grant - Framework Programme 7
2010 Ramon y Cajal Award to Tanya Vavouri
People
Name | Position | ||
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Tanya Vavouri | ![]() | Group Leader | tvavouri@carrerasresearch.org |
Eduard Casas | ![]() | PhD Student | ecasas@carrerasresearch.org |
Selected publications
Transgenerational transmission of environmental information in C. elegans.
Science 21 Apr 2017, 356 (6335) 320-323.The small RNA content of human sperm reveals pseudogene-derived piRNAs complementary to protein-coding genes.
RNA Jun 2015, 21 (6) 1085-95. Epub 22 Apr 2015Paternal diet defines offspring chromatin state and intergenerational obesity.
Cell 4 Dec 2014, 159 (6) 1352-64.Assessment of kinship detection using RNA-seq data
bioRxiv 13 Feb 2019, On-line preprint . Epub 13 Feb 2019Current projects
PIWI-interacting RNAs - their evolution and their role in epigenetic inheritance and cancer
Project leader: | Tanya Vavouri |
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Code: | BFU2015-70581-P |
Funding: | |
Start date: | 01/01/2016 |
End date: | 31/12/2018 |
Ayudas para incentivar la incorporación estable de doctores (IED).
Project leader: | Tanya Vavouri |
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Code: | IED171 |
Funding: | |
Start date: | 01/01/2017 |
End date: | 31/12/2018 |