By charles epigenetics

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aAhcNjmvhc

Before we start: So, epigenetics is: Remember how DNAs are like "the blueprints of our lifes"? (A set of sequenced genes stored inside, it then it would be transcribed into RNA, translated into proteins produced by ribosomes, finally constructing our bodies and characteristics.) Epigenetics play an important role in this process. As chemical "tags" of the genes, it affects how they are interpret, and thus affecting protein production (turning them active and "off"), influencing it as an external source as it cannot directly rewrite the script of the DNA. So, epigenetics is:

Technologies/ advancements regrading Epigenetics

Advancments: Methyl Groups in DNA methylation: Acting as epigenetic signaling "tools" belongside DNA, which is able to fix certain genes into "on" and "off" positions.Ths is an epigenetic mechanism used by cells to control gene expression. Scientists are currently researching...? Scientists are now trying to found out the relationships between it and diseases, in other words, the cause of diseases.

Examples (as of July 29, 2017) In a study of genetic analysis, carried out on mitochondrial tRNA data from 1,226 samples of normal human tissue or tumour tissue by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TGCA) project. (for any given sample of normal tissue there was a cancerous sample from the same individual.) Dr Youssef Idaghdour (an assistant professor of biology at New York University Abu Dhabi) and Dr Alan Hodgkinson (Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics of King’s College, London) found that tumour samples tended to have higher methylation levels than normal samples, a pattern seen across multiple cancer types. They show that DNA methylation patterns may affect translation and in doing so cause mitochondria to produce more energy. This, in turn, allows cells to divide faster and helps the tumour to grow. They might have found a relationship between DNA methylation and tumors.

How is this used? Scientists have made various discoveries about DNA methylation and how vital it is to a number of cellular processes such as embryonic development, X-chromosome inactivation, gene suppression etc. Researchers have linked abnormal DNA methylation to several adverse outcomes, including human diseases. Links are currently being looked at between DNA methylation and human diseases such as lupus, cancer, muscular dystrophy and various congenital defects, much of this research has been focused on cancer and tumor suppressor genes. (e.g.  in colon cancer, it is possible to detect hypermethylation early on in the course of disease, meaning hypermethylation may serve as a biomarker for the condition.)

How can this change the world? It could help develop new ways of treatments to cancer paitents. DNA sequences can't be changed, but epigenetics could. It is possible to prevent different diseases such as cancer, through epigenetic therapy drugs that are being used in cancer of these epigenetics, which is already happening in some areas of related treatments.

References: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aAhcNjmvhc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYHBbEKap0A https://www.news-medical.net/life-sciences/What-is-DNA- Methylation.aspx https://www.thenational.ae/uae/science/molecular-biology-study- by-abu-dhabi-researcher-has-cancer-breakthrough-potential- 1.615087 http://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2017-04-21/what-does- epigenetics-mean-for-you-and-your-kids