Congress of Medical Epigenetics

Welcome to the 2016 Congress of Medical Epigenetics • Beijing, China!

Epigenetic marks have been known since 1970 but their importance has not been realized until 1990s. As introduced in a Times cover story in 2010, epigenetics explains why our DNA is not our destiny.

The term of epigenetics refers to stably heritable phenotype resulting from changes in a chromosome without alterations in the DNA sequence. Some of the well-known epigenetic events include covalent modification of DNA, histones, non-histone proteins (e.g., chaperones) as well as the interactions between non-coding RNAs and chromatin. It has become increasingly clear that epigenetics plays important roles in various cellular processes such as stem cells, differentiation, development and in disease as well. In the past two decades, we have witnessed amazing progress in the field of epigenetics: New epigenetic modifications are being constantly discovered; Rapid technological advances such as next-generation sequencing allow for mapping and analyzing epigenetic marks at an unprecedented resolution and accuracy; epigenetic aberrations have been recognized to be tightly associated with almost all major diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, autoimmune and neurological diseases; In particular, the impact of inheritable epigenetic changes caused by environmental factors and life style on health is being increasingly unveiled; The value of epigenetic biomarkers in disease diagnosis and prognosis has been firmed established; A number of drugs that target epigenetic pathways have advanced into clinic.

This symposium will cover some of the most recent advances and cutting edge research in the field of epigenetics, especially translational epigenetics. We believe that this meeting will inspire new ideas, foster collaborations and boost the translation of epigenetic researches into diagnosis, therapies and preventions.