Newcastle University

Accessible Resource for Integrated Epigenomic Studies (ARIES)

PI's: George Davey Smith, Caroline Relton, Sue Ozanne

Co-Investigators: Tom Gaunt, Sue Ring, Dave Evans, Neil Wipat, Tom Kirkwood, Wolf Reik

Funder: BBSRC

£1.6 million (final budget to be confirmed) This project involves genome-wide methylation analysis in 1,000 children at birth, age 7 and age 17 and their mothers at two time points and whole methylome sequencing on 10 mother child pairs at the same serial time points. The grant also involves the development of bioinformatic tools and a custom genome browser to allow openly accessible browsing of inter-individual variation in DNA methylation aligned with SNP and gene expression data.

One-carbon metabolism biomarkers and lung cancer risk

PI: Paul Brennan

Co-Investigator: Caroline Relton, Mattias Johansson, Per Magne Ueland, Paolo Vineis and 22 international leaders of lung cancer cohorts

Funder: NCI (NIH)

$5 million

This project builds on findings we published in JAMA last year (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20551408) reporting a profound reduction in risk of lung cancer in individuals with high serum B vitamin levels in 2,600 individuals. The NCI have funded a large scale and definitive study of the same issue in 22 cohorts globally involving over 11,000 individuals which will be co-ordinated from IARC. Importantly this project provides a platform for additional projects including the evaluation of DNA methylation biomarkers as predictive tools in lung cancer.

Prenatal exposures, epigenetic patterns and childhood outcomes.

Dr Eva Morales

Sponsor: Caroline Relton

Funder: CREAL

Dr Eva Morales, an epidemiologist from CREAL in Barcelona, has joined the epigenetics group at the IGM for a years sabbatical funded by her employer to pursue analyses relating to the role of DNA methylation in mediating the influence of prenatal exposures on offspring outcomes. Initial investigations will focus on whether gestational weight gain alters cord blood DNA methylation and in turn, childhood adiposity.