EpiFluid Lab
The dark matter of the genome: decoding non-coding genetic variants through multi-omics inside and outside the cell.
About the Lab
We are an epigenomics and computational biology lab within the Simpson Querrey Institute for Epigenetics, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
Our long-term research interest is to decode the human genome. We develop and apply computational and high-throughput experimental methods in epigenomics to understand the gene regulatory roles of non-coding genetic variants in pathological conditions, including cancers and neurodegenerative diseases.
Specifically, our work focuses on two fronts: computational method development for circulating cell-free DNA fragmentation, and new biotechnology for the joint profiling of multi-omics within single cells, with the ultimate goal of enabling biomarker discovery for the early diagnosis and prognosis of complex diseases.
Funding
Our work is supported by NIH (R35GM147283, R56HG012360), NSF (ACCESS Resource Allocation), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (MOMI Ideas Award), Sony Research Foundation (Sony Focus Research Award), and Northwestern University.