Histone Modifications in Therapy (Translational Epigenetics)

Histone Modifications in Therapy provides an in-depth analysis of the role of histone mechanisms in major diseases and the promise of targeting histone modifications for disease prevention and treatment. Here, researchers, clinicians and students will discover a thorough, evidence-based discussion of the biology of histones, the diseases engaged by aberrant histone modifications, and pathways with therapeutic potential. Expert chapter addresses the role of histone modifications across a variety of disorders, including cancer, neuropsychiatric, neurodegenerative, cardiac, metabolic, infectious, bacterial, autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, among others. In relation to these disease types, histone modifications are discussed, both as mechanisms of prevention and possible treatment.

A concluding chapter brings together future perspectives for targeting histone modifications in therapy and next steps in research.

• Examines the use of histone modifications in disease prevention and therapy
• Explores the role of histone modifications in cancer, neuropsychiatric, neurodegenerative, cardiac, metabolic, infectious, bacterial, and inflammatory disease, among others
• Features chapters from a broad range of international authors and disease specialists

Pedro Castelo Branco completed his doctorate in molecular biology at Oxford University in 2005, followed by post-doctoral fellowships at Harvard University and the University of Toronto. Since 2014 he is a Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine and head of the Epigenetics in Human Disease laboratory , at the University of the Algarve. His scientific interests include the identification of specific epigenetic signatures throughout carcinogenesis and targeted methylation/demethylation as a therapeutic approach.

Dr. Carmen Jerónimo is the Head of the Cancer Biology & Epigenetics Group at the Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto (IPO Porto) & Invited Associate Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar - University of Porto. She obtained her PhD in Biomedical Sciences (2001) and Habilitation in Pathology and Molecular Genetics (2011) from the University of Porto. Her PhD project was carried out at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), Baltimore, USA. From 2002 until 2007, she was a Post-doctoral Fellow and Invited Researcher at IPO Porto and JHU (2003). Her current research characterizes the epigenome of tumor cells, through the establishment of the profile of DNA methylation, of histone modifications and alteration patterns of miRNA, of genes related to tumorigenesis and the identification of functional changes involved in the breakdown of cell epigenetic homeostasis. Dr. Jerónimo has authored or co-authored more than 160 international scientific publications, including 4 book chapters and several review articles. She has supervised 3 PhD theses and 30 Master dissertations and collaborated in a patent submission (Methods and biomarkers for detection of bladder cancer US 20130210011/ EP 2630261 A1/ WO 2012052844 A1).