Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

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Epigenetics

While genetics is the study of the DNA code that describes how to make all our cells and tissues, epigenetics is the study of how the body adds and removes chemical tags to our DNA, to turn certain genes on or off. This pattern of chemical tagging is generally passed on from parent cell to daughter cell, along with the DNA. Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are leading the way in studying epigenetics and using it to develop new therapies. Learn more from the Ottawa Centre for Epigenetics Research.

Research News

	Epigenetics may explain statins’ anti-inflammatory power May 17, 2024 - “If we can understand more about how statins reduce inflammation at the molecular level, we may be able to design new drugs that can complement statins and enhance heart attack prevention."
	Supercharging stem cells November 12, 2021 - Dr. Jeff Dilworth is receiving The Ottawa Hospital’s Chrétien Researcher of the Year Award for his groundbreaking research, which could bring new energy to exhausted stem cells and help them repair the body
	New drug combination destroys chemo-resistant blood cancer October 22, 2018 - Researchers from The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa have developed a promising targeted strategy to treat chemotherapy-resistant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and a diagnostic test to determine which AML patients would most likely benefi
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	Stem cell researchers tackle muscle weakness in older people May 30, 2018 - For most people, muscle loss is a normal part of aging that makes daily tasks harder. Muscle loss called sarcopenia happens more quickly, leading to falls and decreased mobility. One reason for this muscle loss is that stem cells that help repair dam
	Pre-treated cells boost blood vessel repair November 29, 2017 - Endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) are stem-like cells found in umbilical cord blood that help repair damaged blood vessels. They may hold promise for the treatment of stroke, heart attack and blocked leg arteries. However, their rate of bloo

Researchers

Name	Scientific appointment	Diseases, conditions and populations of interest	Research and clinical approaches
Albert, Paul PhD	Senior Scientist (NS)	Mental health, Vascular cognitive impairment, Anxiety, Depression, Intellectual disabilities, Parkinson's, Schizophrenia, Stroke, Suicide	Basic research, Epigenetics, Exercise, Gene expression, Translational research, Disease models, Epigenetics, Genetics, Imaging, Molecular and cellular biology, Optogenetics, Transgenic/knockout models
Berardi, Philip MD, PhD, FRCPC	Clinician Investigator (CR)	Aging, Anemia, Bleeding disorders, Blood cancer, Cancer, COVID-19, Health equity, Health in older peoples, Sickle cell anemia, Thalassemia, Thrombosis / thromboembolism	Artificial intelligence and data science, Basic research, Bioinformatics, Biomarkers, Cancer biotherapeutics, Cell therapy, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genetics, Genomics, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, Stem cells, Translational research
Brand, Marjorie PhD	Senior Scientist Affiliate (RM)	Blood cancer, Sickle cell anemia, Thalassemia, Vascular, heart and metabolic disease	Artificial intelligence and data science, Basic research, Bioinformatics, Disease models, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genomics, Imaging, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Stem cells, Systems biology, Transgenic/knockout models
Cook, David PhD	Scientist (CR)	Cancer, Ovarian cancer	Artificial intelligence and data science, Basic research, Big data, Bioinformatics, Biomarkers, Cancer biotherapeutics, Cancer immunotherapy, Cell therapy, Drug development, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genomics, Imaging, Immunotherapy, Molecular and cellular biology, RNA sequencing, Systems biology, Translational research
Dilworth, Jeffrey PhD	Senior Scientist Affiliate (RM)	Aging, Muscular dystrophy, Neuromuscular disease	Basic research, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genomics, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells
Ito, Caryn PhD	Senior Investigator (RM)	Blood cancer, Cancer	Basic research, Bioinformatics, Biomarkers, Drug development, Epigenetics, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Systems biology, Translational research
Kothary, Rashmi Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (RM)	Neuromuscular disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Dystonia, Multiple sclerosis, Muscular dystrophy, Spinal muscular atrophy	Basic research, Disease models, Drug development, Epigenetics, Epigenetics, Gene therapy, Genetics, Imaging, Lipidomics, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Transgenic/knockout models, Translational research
Mattar, Pierre PhD	Senior Scientist (RM)	Autism, Autoimmune diseases of the nervous system, Glaucoma, Intellectual disabilities, Macular degeneration, Retinal disease, Vision	Basic research, Bioinformatics, Cell therapy, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genetics, Genomics, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Systems biology, Transgenic/knockout models
Mei, Shirley PhD, MSc	Investigator (RM)	COVID-19, Septic shock	Basic research, Biomarkers, Cell therapy, Critical care, Disease models, Epigenetics, Gene therapy, Knowledge translation and implementation research, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells
Perkins, Theodore PhD	Senior Scientist (RM)	Brain and neuromuscular disease, Cancer, Muscular dystrophy, Musculoskeletal conditions, Neuromuscular disease	Artificial intelligence and data science, Basic research, Big data, Bioinformatics, Biomarkers, Biostatistics, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genetics, Genomics, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Systems biology, Translational research
Picketts, David Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (RM)	Autism, Brain and neuromuscular disease, Intellectual disabilities, Multiple sclerosis, Stroke, Vision	Basic research, Disease models, Epigenetics, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models
Rudnicki, Michael OC, PhD, FRS, FRSC	Program Director and Senior Scientist (RM)	Muscular dystrophy, Neuromuscular disease	Basic research, Bioinformatics, Disease models, Epigenetics, Genetics, Genomics, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Proteomics, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models
Vanderhyden, Barbara PhD	Senior Scientist (CR)	Cancer, Infertility, Ovarian cancer, Women's health	Basic research, Bioinformatics, Biomarkers, Cancer biotherapeutics, Disease models, Drug development, Epigenetics, Gene expression, Genomics, Immunotherapy, Model organisms, Molecular and cellular biology, Oncolytic viruses, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models, Translational research, Viral therapy
Wang, Jing Ph.D.	Senior Scientist (RM)	Alzheimer's, Multiple sclerosis, Stroke	Cell therapy, Disease models, Epigenetics, Imaging, Molecular and cellular biology, Regenerative medicine, Stem cells, Transgenic/knockout models

Related Resources

Ottawa Centre for Epigenetics Research