Livestock Epigenomics Workshop, Mar 31 Genomic technologies have empowered and accelerated genetic research and its impact in breeding. It is, however, clear that genetics only explains a proportion of the observed variation in health and production traits in livestock populations. The environment plays an important part in determining performance, and so do the interactions of the genetic background with known and unknown environmental factors. DNA methylation, an epigenetic mark, can be used as proxy of environmental factors, and to quantify environmental and genome by environment interactions. This is important because understanding variation improves estimation of breeding values across environments, through the signature that these leave in DNA methylation data. Additionally, DNA methylation data holds promise as a disease biomarker, potentially replacing more invasive or costly tests. We are thrilled to host this workshop where our colleagues will present some of their exciting epigenetic research in large ruminants and humans, including in admixed populations, in a series of morning talks. In the afternoon, we will have an opportunity to hold informal discussions around posters. If you have related work you would like to present at the workshop in poster format, you will be able to submit your poster during the registration process. You might need to login to a google account to fill in the poster submission form. The meeting will be hybrid and free to attend both in person and online. Registration will be open until the 30/03/2023 at 5 pm UK time, but if you are registering to attend in person, it would help us to plan refreshments if you would register before the 19/03/2023 at 5 pm UK time. Contact us at livestock.epigenomics@gmail.com if you experience any problems with the registration or poster submission process. Please see the agenda below for the structure of the workshop and the timings of the talks. Registration will begin at 9 am, and talks will commence at 9:30 am (UK time). The workshop will conclude by 3:15 pm (UK time). OUR SPEAKERS We are grateful to our speakers for making this workshop possible. This is a bit of information about their backgrounds and interests. Helene Kiefer obtained a permanent researcher position in 2010 at INRAE of Jouy-en-Josas (near Paris). She developed several tools to study DNA methylation at a genome-wide scale in cattle: a Roche-NimbleGen custom microarray, an automated version of RRBS, and she is now involved in the development of the first Illumina cattle medium density array (RUMIGEN EpiChip). Her research interest is DNA methylation in cattle with a focus on bull sperm. She is leading a joint INRAE-ELIANCE team together with a colleague from ELIANCE. Yanni Zeng Dr. Zeng studied psychiatric genetics in her PhD in 2013-2016, supervised by Prof. Andrew McIntosh and Prof. Chris Haley at the University of Edinburgh. In 2017-2018, she worked in Prof. Chris Haley’s group as a postdoc exploring the determination of DNA methylation and its impact on complex traits. In 2018, she joined the Zhongshan School of Medicine at Sun-Yat Sen University. Her current research interest focuses in genetic, epigenetic and environmental determination of complex traits. Eveline Ibeaga-Awemu Dr. Eveline Ibeagha-Awemu is a Senior Research Scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She has established a national and international reputation for her research in animal functional genomics and epigenomics for livestock health management and production. Her research focuses on applying OMICs and emerging technologies to characterise regulatory elements in livestock genomes and their contributions to phenotypic variation in livestock health, production and environmental adaptation. She has contributed to numerous expert consultancy meetings/panels and professional societies including holding executive position as President of the Canadian Society of Animal Science. She has contributed significantly to scientific innovation through authorship/co-authorship of over 220 scientific communications, numerous invited presentations and won many awards including the 2021 CSAS Award for Technical Innovation in Enhancing the Production of Safe and Affordable Food. Peter J Hansen is Distinguished Professor at the Dept of Animal Sciences University of Florida. His research focuses on the biology of early pregnancy and development of methods to improve fertility and assisted reproductive technologies in cattle. Particular emphasis is placed on elucidating pathways by which the mother regulates preimplantation development, minimizing effects of elevated temperature on fertility and identifying genes controlling embryonic survival and thermotolerance. He received the B.S. in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Illinois in 1978 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin in 1980 and 1983. He did a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Florida from 1983-1984 before joining the faculty at Florida as an assistant professor in 1984. He is currently President of the Society for the Study of Reproduction. Konrad Rawlik studied Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Edinburgh, before obtaining an MSc by Research in developmental neuroscience and a PhD in machine learning. He then joined the Roslin Institute as a Core Scientist working on complex trait genetics in human. During this time he worked on the development of novel analytical approaches for methylation data, development of big-data genetic analyses, and the host genetics of critical illness in Covid19. He has recently been awarded a Chancellor’s Fellowship at the Baillie Gifford Pandemic Science Hub (Centre for Inflammation) at the University of Edinburgh where he will working on computational biomedical genetics in human. Jessica Powell will be starting a postdoc position in March at The Roslin Institute, where she also completed her PhD in cattle epigenetics in 2021. After her PhD she did a postdoc at The University of Cambridge where she studied RNA translation dynamics during bacterial infection of mouse macrophages. Her new postdoc project aims to identify the location of genetic variants in cattle linked to important downstream phenotypes. Mar 31 2023 09.00 - 15.30 Livestock Epigenomics Workshop, Mar 31 Hybrid livestock epigenomics workshop hosted at Roslin Institute, showcasing current research in livestock and selected human studies. Roslin Institute Building / Hybrid The University of Edinburgh Easter Bush Campus Easter Bush Estate EH25 9RG Register here
Livestock Epigenomics Workshop, Mar 31 Genomic technologies have empowered and accelerated genetic research and its impact in breeding. It is, however, clear that genetics only explains a proportion of the observed variation in health and production traits in livestock populations. The environment plays an important part in determining performance, and so do the interactions of the genetic background with known and unknown environmental factors. DNA methylation, an epigenetic mark, can be used as proxy of environmental factors, and to quantify environmental and genome by environment interactions. This is important because understanding variation improves estimation of breeding values across environments, through the signature that these leave in DNA methylation data. Additionally, DNA methylation data holds promise as a disease biomarker, potentially replacing more invasive or costly tests. We are thrilled to host this workshop where our colleagues will present some of their exciting epigenetic research in large ruminants and humans, including in admixed populations, in a series of morning talks. In the afternoon, we will have an opportunity to hold informal discussions around posters. If you have related work you would like to present at the workshop in poster format, you will be able to submit your poster during the registration process. You might need to login to a google account to fill in the poster submission form. The meeting will be hybrid and free to attend both in person and online. Registration will be open until the 30/03/2023 at 5 pm UK time, but if you are registering to attend in person, it would help us to plan refreshments if you would register before the 19/03/2023 at 5 pm UK time. Contact us at livestock.epigenomics@gmail.com if you experience any problems with the registration or poster submission process. Please see the agenda below for the structure of the workshop and the timings of the talks. Registration will begin at 9 am, and talks will commence at 9:30 am (UK time). The workshop will conclude by 3:15 pm (UK time). OUR SPEAKERS We are grateful to our speakers for making this workshop possible. This is a bit of information about their backgrounds and interests. Helene Kiefer obtained a permanent researcher position in 2010 at INRAE of Jouy-en-Josas (near Paris). She developed several tools to study DNA methylation at a genome-wide scale in cattle: a Roche-NimbleGen custom microarray, an automated version of RRBS, and she is now involved in the development of the first Illumina cattle medium density array (RUMIGEN EpiChip). Her research interest is DNA methylation in cattle with a focus on bull sperm. She is leading a joint INRAE-ELIANCE team together with a colleague from ELIANCE. Yanni Zeng Dr. Zeng studied psychiatric genetics in her PhD in 2013-2016, supervised by Prof. Andrew McIntosh and Prof. Chris Haley at the University of Edinburgh. In 2017-2018, she worked in Prof. Chris Haley’s group as a postdoc exploring the determination of DNA methylation and its impact on complex traits. In 2018, she joined the Zhongshan School of Medicine at Sun-Yat Sen University. Her current research interest focuses in genetic, epigenetic and environmental determination of complex traits. Eveline Ibeaga-Awemu Dr. Eveline Ibeagha-Awemu is a Senior Research Scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She has established a national and international reputation for her research in animal functional genomics and epigenomics for livestock health management and production. Her research focuses on applying OMICs and emerging technologies to characterise regulatory elements in livestock genomes and their contributions to phenotypic variation in livestock health, production and environmental adaptation. She has contributed to numerous expert consultancy meetings/panels and professional societies including holding executive position as President of the Canadian Society of Animal Science. She has contributed significantly to scientific innovation through authorship/co-authorship of over 220 scientific communications, numerous invited presentations and won many awards including the 2021 CSAS Award for Technical Innovation in Enhancing the Production of Safe and Affordable Food. Peter J Hansen is Distinguished Professor at the Dept of Animal Sciences University of Florida. His research focuses on the biology of early pregnancy and development of methods to improve fertility and assisted reproductive technologies in cattle. Particular emphasis is placed on elucidating pathways by which the mother regulates preimplantation development, minimizing effects of elevated temperature on fertility and identifying genes controlling embryonic survival and thermotolerance. He received the B.S. in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Illinois in 1978 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin in 1980 and 1983. He did a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Florida from 1983-1984 before joining the faculty at Florida as an assistant professor in 1984. He is currently President of the Society for the Study of Reproduction. Konrad Rawlik studied Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Edinburgh, before obtaining an MSc by Research in developmental neuroscience and a PhD in machine learning. He then joined the Roslin Institute as a Core Scientist working on complex trait genetics in human. During this time he worked on the development of novel analytical approaches for methylation data, development of big-data genetic analyses, and the host genetics of critical illness in Covid19. He has recently been awarded a Chancellor’s Fellowship at the Baillie Gifford Pandemic Science Hub (Centre for Inflammation) at the University of Edinburgh where he will working on computational biomedical genetics in human. Jessica Powell will be starting a postdoc position in March at The Roslin Institute, where she also completed her PhD in cattle epigenetics in 2021. After her PhD she did a postdoc at The University of Cambridge where she studied RNA translation dynamics during bacterial infection of mouse macrophages. Her new postdoc project aims to identify the location of genetic variants in cattle linked to important downstream phenotypes. Mar 31 2023 09.00 - 15.30 Livestock Epigenomics Workshop, Mar 31 Hybrid livestock epigenomics workshop hosted at Roslin Institute, showcasing current research in livestock and selected human studies. Roslin Institute Building / Hybrid The University of Edinburgh Easter Bush Campus Easter Bush Estate EH25 9RG Register here
Mar 31 2023 09.00 - 15.30 Livestock Epigenomics Workshop, Mar 31 Hybrid livestock epigenomics workshop hosted at Roslin Institute, showcasing current research in livestock and selected human studies.
