Epi Gen

The Epi Gen research partnership allows the members to partner in their research, accelerate it and share intellectual property as they jointly develop their combined knowledge in the field of developmental epigenetics.

Epigenetics refers to the molecular mechanisms that cause changes in gene expression without alteration of the DNA sequence.

Understanding epigenetic processes allows scientists to manipulate the nutritional and hormonal environment during the early stages of development and change the activity settings on certain genes. This has potential benefits for the agricultural and food industries and for human health. It presents commercial opportunities including:

• biomarkers of production or quality characteristics in agricultural or domestic animals which can be used as tools for herd selection
• advanced formulations for feed supplements and nutritional strategies for targeted interventions to improve traits such as the carcass composition of farm animals
• prognostics – tests that can be used to predict future health; these have huge potential value in human medicine and public health
• identifying potential targets for the development of new pharmaceuticals
• new technology platforms for epigenomic research.

The group has already filed intellectual property claims and signed major research contracts with the food industry. The involvement of international partners has been critical in opening access to companies that would not otherwise have committed to research in NZ.

The six partners are amongst the world’s leading research groups in the field of developmental epigenetics. The partners are

• Liggins Institute (through Auckland Uniservices Ltd)
• AgResearch
• The University of Southampton (UK)
• Medical Research Council Epidemiology Resource Centre in Southampton
• Singapore Institute of Clinical Sciences
• National University of Singapore

The consortium is co-chaired by Professor Sir Peter Gluckman (Liggins Institute) and Professor Mark Hanson (Institute of Developmental Sciences, University of Southampton).