The epigenetics of your cell identity | Gabriella Ficz | TEDxThessaloniki

Do we really know what epigenetics is? In this talk the molecular biologist Gabriella Ficz offers a comprehensive look in all we need to know about epigenetics. She sheds light on the nature of this mechanism that from the moment we are conceived gets activated and defines the identity of our cells. In further elaborating on the matter, she presents groundbreaking research findings on the ways epigenetic mechanisms can result in the initiation of cancer.
Η επιγενετική της ταυτότητας των κυττάρων μας
Γνωρίζουμε τι πραγματικά είναι η επιγενετική; Σε αυτή την ομιλία η μοριακή βιολόγος Gabriella Ficz εξηγεί όλα εκείνα που πρέπει να γνωρίζουμε για την επιγενετική. Μέσα από μια εμπεριστατωμένη ανάλυση ρίχνει φως στη φύση αυτού το μηχανισμού ο οποίος ενεργοποιείται από τη μέρα της σύλληψης μας και καθορίζει τη ταυτότητα των κυττάρων μας. Συνεχίζοντας, παρουσιάζει αποτελέσματα επαναστατικών ερευνών που σχετικά με τον τρόπο που επιγενετικοί μηχανισμοί οδηγούν στην έναρξη του καρκίνου.
An academic researcher at the Barts Cancer Institute of the Queen Mary Univ. of London, Gabriella Ficz is investigating the molecular aspects of epigenetics & their implications in health and disease. Gabriella holds a Ph.D. from Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, where she learned how the regulation of the hundreds of genes present in a cell unfolds during the development of an organism.
She has been at the forefront of the discoveries of the new functions of the new epigenetic modifications identifying signaling pathways in embryonic stem cells that induce widespread epigenetic reprogramming & she has demonstrated the instructive role of epigenetics using CRISPR/Cas9 based epigenetic editing.
Today, she asks questions about what happens when the cells lose the identity they once had and what impact this has on disease initiation. Her aim is to find a means to slow down these processes that trap us into an irreversible age driven decay of organismal function. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

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What about at an atomic level where you can see the swapping of chemical changes in the body? These happen in epigenetics because we have to change chemically to suit our environments .