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Although epigenetic disturbances involving single genes are now thought to cause many health problems including cancer, asthma and autism, the general public understands little of this field of medicine.  A free public lecture at The University of Western Australia will help redress the balance.

The completion of the human genome project and the finishing of many other genomes of plants, animals, fungi and bacteria is spawning a new epoch.  We are now learning how all these genes are switched on and off.  Our understanding of these gene switches, or epigenetic controls, is fast growing and we are learning all kinds of surprising new things.  For example, we now know that plants and animals have very similar epigenetic codes.

Epigenetics is teaching us that the saying "you are what you eat" is truer than we thought.  Epigenetic switches may be altered by the food we eat and there is growing evidence that these changes can increase or reduce the risk of cancer.  Very recently we have learnt that some epigenetic codes, which can be altered by our own lifetime experiences, may be inherited by our children.

In this presentation, Professor Emma Whitelaw, who is an NHMRC Australia Fellow at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research, will describe the global effort to decipher the epigenetic code of life and the exciting opportunities opening up for young scientists, who will be rewarded by a lifetime of rich scientific discovery that will overshadow the achievements of geneticists since the discovery of DNA more than 50 years ago.  Professor Whitelaw's studies on the transgenerational inheritance of epigenetic marks have stimulated a great deal of interest from the wider scientific community.  In 2008, she was awarded an Australia Fellowship, the most prestigious fellowship in medical research in Australia.

The lecture, Epigenetics Explained, by Professor Whitelaw, is the keynote address in a UWA symposium on the subject.  Papers will discuss issues such as epigenetic responses to the foetal environment, birth defects, common adult onset diseases, and the impact of nutrition.

David Ravine, Professor of Medical Genetics at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research is the symposium convenor.

WHAT: Free public lecture: Epigenetics Explained by Professor Emma Whitelaw, NHMRC Australia Fellow at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research

WHEN: Thursday, 20 August, 6pm

WHERE: University Club Theatre Auditorium

Media references

Winthrop Professor David Ravine (WAIMR)  (+61 4) 13 726 216
Janine MacDonald (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 5563  /  (+61 4) 32 637 716