Wonho Kim, PhD

Wonho Kim, PhD, Assistant Professor of Genetics and IBGS faculty member, received a new R35 grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) for his project titled “Deciphering the Stepwise Regulatory Mechanisms of Genome Folding”.

The three-dimensional folding of the genome facilitates interactions between distal genomic regions, playing roles in gene transcription, DNA damage repair and DNA replication. Dysregulation of genome folding has been linked to various diseases, including cancer and developmental disorders. This proposal aims to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of genome folding in living cells. Using genetic approaches, we will identify new factors involved in genome folding and determine the specific process within the genome folding regulated by these factors. Collectively, our studies aim to unveil novel molecular mechanisms governing genome folding, offering a deeper understanding of its contributions to disease states.

Parul Johri, PhD

Parul Johri, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biology and Genetics and IBGS faculty member, received a new R35 grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) for her project titled “Jointly modeling the effects of evolutionary processes on genomic variation”.

The work will result in a better understanding of how natural selection shapes genomic variation, as well as the development and application of methods that jointly account for multiple evolutionary processes. The first goal will be to generate a better estimate of the shape of the genome-wide fitness effects of new mutations. As lower rates of recombination result in stronger effects of selection, the second goal is to better understand how selection against deleterious mutations affects genome-wide patterns of variation in species that undergo high rates of self-fertilization and to develop methods that account for the effects of selection. The third goal is to apply methods to perform inference of demography and identification of recent selective sweeps in species with compact genomes, like those of Plasmodium falciparum and vivax.

Greg Copenhaver

IBGS faculty member and Biology Professor Gregory Copenhaver has received a Breakthrough Technology Award from the National Science Foundation.

The awards fund research aimed at advancing functional genomics and crop breeding.

With more than 7 ½ billion people on the planet, agriculture enterprise is looking for ways to combat issues related to increasing instances of drought, flood, pests and disease, and that’s at the root of the “high-risk, high-reward” fundamental research in these new Breakthrough Technologies awards.

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Congratulations to Dan McKay’s lab, supported by IBGS, which has received a 4-year Research Scholar Grant from the American Cancer Society to explore how the switches that control gene expression get turned on and off during development.