Research summary
Genomes and epigenomes (chemical compounds that affect DNA and gene activation) can offer valuable insights into our health—such as whether we are predisposed to certain diseases, how we are likely to respond to certain treatments, and how the environment may influence our health. But among the global scientific community, the ability to interpret this information is still just emerging.
Dr. Guillaume Bourque, Canada Research Chair in Computational Genomics and Medicine, is developing innovative tools to interpret genomic and epigenomic data. He and his research team are characterizing non-coding variants (parts of the genome that do not “code” for proteins, but affect the regulation of genes or chromosome structure) in groups of patients with and without disease. Ultimately, they hope to advance our knowledge of genomics by sharing their findings with scientists around the world.