Epigenomics

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Cells with identical genetic backgrounds are capable of activating dramatically different transcriptional programs, leading to completely distinct cellular functions. Such regulation is largely determined by the cells' unique epigenetic states, encoded via chromatin regulators and histone markers. High-throughput methods such as ChIP-seq and RNA-seq allow for unbiased genome-wide profiling of cellular states. However, these methods require many cells as input material and are thus blind to any cell-to-cell variations. Decoding a cellular program requires the ability to probe the epigenetic landscape at single-cell resolution.

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1. Our focuses are on establishing and utilizing cutting-edge single-cell technologies to probe chromatin and transcriptional output at the single-cell level.

2. We integrate the optimization of microfluidic devices, molecular & cellular biology, and computational analysis to reveal how regulation at epigenetic level is established, maintained, and altered during early development.

3. Our mission is to characterize chromatin mechanisms to better understand cellular processes in health and disease.