Epigenetics Receives Green Light as Major Initiative in NIH Roadmap

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has concluded their selection process for a new cohort of Roadmap initiatives, approving four topics as Major Roadmap Initiatives. Two programs, epigenetics and microbiomes, were approved for immediate implementation as five year programs.

Epigenetics is the study of stable genetic modifications that result in changes in gene expression and function without a corresponding alteration in DNA sequence. The epigenome is a catalog of the epigenetic modifications that occur in the genome. Epigenetic changes have been associated with disease, but further progress requires the development of better methods to detect the modifications and a clearer understanding of factors that drive these changes.

Steve - if you have followed our newsletters and blog for the last year, you know that we have discussed epigenetics many times in reference to nutrition's positive and adverse effect depending on diet and lifestyle. The NIH roadmap is very good news for the public.