Decoding the regulatory genome

Hosted by: Dr Hardip Patel

Abstract

The amount of potential distal regulatory elements (~30%) in the human genome vastly outnumber protein-coding sequences (~2%). These regulatory regions govern cell identity by modulating gene expression. However, unlike protein-coding regions, we do not fully understand how they are defined, and a sequence guide for characterizing cell types and states remains elusive. Associate Professor Emily Wong will discuss her work in deciphering the cis-regulatory genome, including examining the systems biology of aging and exercise in the heart.

Biography

Associate Professor Emily Wong was awarded her PhD in comparative genomics and bioinformatics at the University of Sydney. She joined the EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge, UK, where she focused on evolutionary regulatory genomics. She returned to Australia and studied the evolution of cis-gene regulatory regions at University of Queensland. Associate Professor Wong is an NHMRC Investigator and a Snow Fellow at the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, where she heads the Regulatory Systems Lab. In 2023, she was awarded the Fenner Medal from the Australian Academy of Sciences.