Hacking life

Mammals share the majority of their genes, so what makes a cat different from a whale? The differences between species may be in the sequences that regulate the expression of genes, rather than the genes themselves. However, these regulatory sequences are difficult to detect and decipher. Advances in technology are now allowing us to test these regulatory sequences experimentally. Camille will explain how technology sheds new light on the evolution of gene regulation in mammals.

For many important questions, a trial-and-error approach in the real-world could be unsafe or unethical: for example, we wouldn't demolish and rebuild a city just to check if it's any better at supporting people in having a healthy life. Computers can provide a virtual lab, in which virtual people are created (or "modelled") to better understand their behaviour, and to safely assess the possible effects of policy interventions.

James will explain the basics of DNA, Cancer and Genomes and introduce Illumina next-generation sequencing and circulating DNA as methods/concepts. He will then discuss the flood of data they are producing (Dr Berthelot will be talking about similar data); and give an example where next generation sequencing is impacting cancer medicine.