Every cell in your body carries the same DNA sequence, a set of instructions for how to make everything a cell needs to function. But if all your cells are reading from the same instruction manual, how do they perform different roles? How does a skin cell know how to behave like a skin cell and not a blood cell? The answer is the epigenome –biochemical “notes” left on the DNA that direct cells to only read the right parts of their instruction manuals. I study how changes to the epigenome can cause disease in the brain, such as cancer.
Research keyword/s: Epigenetics
About the BEAKER STREET ROVING SCIENTIST PROGRAM
Each August, hundreds of Roving Scientists descend upon Hobart, filling up pubs and chatting to strangers as part of Beaker Street Festival. Discover a new world down the lens of microscope, and joining the least-boring bar conversations you’ve ever heard and these free (the chats – not the drinks) events.
For Scientists, Beaker Street’s Roving Scientist Program offers an excellent outreach, professional development, and networking opportunity. It’s the nerdiest and funnest way to share your research with the public, expand your network, and be inspired by leaders in all sectors of science and science communication.
