● Investigation of cell process underlying neuron death or dysfunctions using cell culture and animal models.
● Elucidation of new molecular pathways of neurodegeneration and neuron survival and discovery of novel therapies.
● Molecular dissection of inflammatory elements that affect neurodegeneration or survival.
● Identification of biomarkers for early diagnosis of the brain disorders and monitoring efficacy of the clinical trials.
● Examination of new technologies, including single cell sequencing and mass spectrometry, for identification of new genes and proteins for the brain disorders.
● Developing new bio-assay systems to effectively screen potential drugs, including small molecule chemical compounds as well as herbal medicines.
● Clinical trials to treat the brain disorders.
The goal of the NDRC Epigenetics Core is to advance basic and applied research in non-coding RNA biology and epigenetics, building on current interest both in mechanisms underlying epigenetic regulation, and in unraveling genome-wide chromatin patterns, commonly known as epigenomes. While genetic approaches to altering cell and tissue function involve direct perturbation of the genome, epigenetic approaches involve the use of small molecules to modulate non-coding RNA,enzymes and chromatin binding proteins and thus provide a novel approach for developing therapies and diagnostics to improve human health.
Epigenetic modifications and regulators have been demonstrated to be significantly changed in almost all human complex disease including neudodegenerative disorders. Since the discovery of epigenetic abnormalities in the early stage of disease, they are becoming the most promising biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis (Personalized Precision Medicine). Meanwhile, epigenetic changes are inheritable and reversible; therefore, it shows great potential as pharmacotherapy targets as well as real-time surveillance of disease progression. Recently, different epigenetic sequencing and detection techniques have been developed to analyze DNA and RNA methylation, histone modification, ncRNA which provided a great opportunity for biomarker identification.