Interdisciplinary Center on Epigenetics Science and Society

描述（由申请人提供）：ELSI CEER项目的预期目标之一是为新基因和基因组科学及其应用所产生的政策问题提供指导。然而，这种关注忽略了表观遗传过程。表观遗传学涉及先天和后天通过环境对基因组施加的离散修改而相交的点。这些修饰包括DNA甲基化，它们在基因组中的分布创造了控制细胞特异性表达模式的细胞特异性表观基因组。基因组的DNA序列在整个生命过程中是相对静止的，而表观基因组在胎儿和儿童发育期间是动态的。表观基因组的这种动态方面创造了机会，例如新的癌症疗法，但它也产生了脆弱性，例如由于母亲营养或养育不足而终生患病的风险。本P20规划申请的前提是，当前NIH和其他倡议所带来的表观遗传学知识的增加将为理解人类生物学和行为以及如何更好地保护这两者创造挑战和机遇。该中心基于三个关于表观遗传学的假设：(1)表观遗传学概念构成了基因与环境相互作用的科学理解的深刻范式转变；(2)随着科学研究转化为健康应用，表观遗传学研究结果可能对传统上的弱势群体产生影响；(3)表观遗传学研究结果将对公共政策产生强有力的影响。来自俄勒冈健康与科学大学和刘易斯与克拉克学院西北法学院的一个跨学科研究小组，与以社区为基础的西北美洲原住民健康研究中心和俄勒冈环境健康中心合作，并与华盛顿大学基因组学和医疗保健平等中心（P50）建立联系，将参与一系列活动，以支持以下具体目标：(1)创建一个跨学科的公地，在此基础上建立伙伴关系和组织结构，用于设计和实施对表观遗传学中复杂和快速出现的ELSI问题的调查；(2)通过话语分析和对关键线人的访谈，对两个与表观遗传学相关的案例进行初步的社会科学调查；(3)研究表观遗传学在癌症诊断和治疗中的应用；(4)通过编写一系列可发表的白皮书，研究表观遗传学知识对法律和政策的影响；(5)设计和准备培训计划，包括招募和留住少数民族学生的计划。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): One of the intended goals of the ELSI CEER program is to provide guidance on policy issues that arise from novel genetic and genomic science and applications. This focus, however, misses epigenetic processes. Epigenetics involves the point at which nature and nurture intersect via discrete environmentally imposed modifications to the genome. These modifications include DNA methylation, and their distribution across the genome creates cell-specific epigenomes that control cell-specific expression patterns. Unlike the DNA sequence of the genome, which is relatively static throughout life, the epigenome is dynamic during fetal and childhood development. This dynamic aspect of the epigenome creates opportunities, such as novel cancer therapies, but it also creates vulnerabilities, such as lifelong risk of disease from inadequate maternal nutrition or nurturing. The premise of this P20 planning application is that an increase in epigenetic knowledge resulting from current NIH and other initiatives will create challenges and opportunities for understanding human biology and behavior, and how to better protect both. The proposed Center is based on three assumptions about epigenetics: (1) Epigenetic concepts constitute a profound paradigm shift in scientific understandings of the interaction of gene and environment; (2) Epigenetic findings are likely to have implications for traditionally vulnerable populations, as scientific research is translated to health applications; and (3) Epigenetic findings will have a powerful impact on public policy. An interdisciplinary group of investigators from Oregon Health & Science University and the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College, in partnership with the community based Northwest Native American Research Center for Health and Oregon Center for Environmental Health, and with links to the University of Washington's Center for Genomics and Healthcare Equality (P50), will engage in a range of activities to support the following Specific Aims: (1) Create an interdisciplinary Commons upon which will to build partnerships and an organizational structure to be used to design and implement investigations of complex and rapidly emerging ELSI issues in epigenetics; (2) Undertake preliminary social science investigation, through discourse analysis and interviews with key informants, of two health-related cases in epigenetics; (3) Investigate the translation of epigenetic science to cancer diagnostics and therapy; (4) Examine law and policy implications of epigenetic knowledge through preparation of a series of publishable white papers; and (5) Design and prepare for a training program, including a plan to recruit and retain minority students. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Our lives are controlled in large part by interactions between the environment and our genes via modifications to DNA and attached proteins. These so-called "epigenetic" modifications can increase or decrease our capabilities as humans depending up the types of modifications that occur and where they occur in our genomes. The ethical, legal and social implications of rapidly emerging epigenetic data will be considered.