My research group focuses on the epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Specifically, we seek to understand how epigenetic mechanisms establish heritable patterns of gene expression throughout development and how disruptions in epigenetic regulation can lead to disease. To this end, we use human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) as our main research tool and pre-clinical model, with particular attention to the epigenetic processes of parental imprinting and X-chromosome inactivation (XCI). These serve as paradigms for studying the epigenetic regulation of gene expression during cellular reprogramming and development.
In this context, our work centers on the intersection between epigenetics and stem cell biology, exploring three main areas:
1. Mechanisms of epigenetic regulation in stem cells;
2. Maintenance of epigenetic fidelity in stem cell models;
3. The use of stem cells to model human diseases.