TRA Director and Researcher release Twin and Family Studies of Epigenetics book

Published: Thursday 02 September 2021

Congratulations to TRA Director Prof John Hopper and TRA researcher Dr Shuai Li who have edited a new volume in the Translational Epigenetics series: Twin and Family Studies of Epigenetics.

Together they have gathered expert opinions from more than 15 leaders in the field on epigenetic twin and family study research methods, recent findings across various across disease areas, and future directions for research and clinical application.  

In recent years, epigenetic modifications have been shown to play an important role in human development and disease progression, and results from ongoing epidemiological studies are already driving advances in medicine and public health. Twin and family studies in epigenetics, by design, offer a unique ability to assess disease risk factors and evaluate interventions across the human lifespan.

Twin and Family Studies of Epigenetics provides an in-depth coverage of epigenetics fundamentals, twin and family epigenetic study design, and the broader role of epigenetics in answering our questions on the developmental origins of health and disease. Throughout the volume, twin and family studies are employed to examine causes of epigenetic variation, the relationship between epigenetic modifications and mental illness, cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure, among other diseases and disorders. Emerging research methods applied in twin and family studies discussed include imaging epigenetics, exposure-specific DNA methylation changes, and unravelling time trends in epigenetic effects.

Twin and Family Studies of Epigenetics, Volume 27 available here.