Epigenetics: A Code upon a Code? - Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith

On top of the heritable genetic code that is our DNA, sits another layer of information that influences our genes. Studying the properties and functions of this ‘epi-genetic’ information has revealed a whole new aspect of genome biology with implications for health and disease, providing compelling explanations for how we might respond to our environment, and making us consider whether DNA is the only code we transmit from one generation to the next.

In her lecture, Anne will consider the influence of epigenetics on our genes, share a few insights into how understanding epigenetics is contributing to modern medicine, and encourage us to question at least some of what we think we might know about epigenetics.

Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith is the Executive Chair of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Before this appointment, she served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and International Partnerships) at the University of Cambridge. A renowned mammalian developmental geneticist, genome biologist and epigeneticist, Anne is the Balfour Professor of Genetics in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Genetics where she served as Head of Department from 2013-2020. She is also a Fellow of Darwin College.

At the University of Cambridge, Anne leads a research group comprised of experimental and computational scientists. They focus on the epigenetic control of genome function, particularly on models of epigenetic inheritance with implications for health and disease. Committed to the training and professional development of new talent, her team’s current work includes investigating how genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors influence cellular and developmental processes.

In 2017, Anne was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society and in 2021 received their Buchanan Medal for her pioneering work on epigenetics. In 2023, she was named Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for her research contributions.

00:00 Start
00:11 Introduction by Dr Michael Rands, Master of Darwin College
02:02 Beginning of the lecture by Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith
1:06:47 The Master's Reflection

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