This week’s reading outlined the status of the NIH Roadmap Epigenomics Program. The project is daunting, but some exciting information has already been discovered. After reading the article, answer the following discussion prompts. (Worth 10 points, give a citation for any outside reference(s) you use to support your claims)
Comment on a particular outcome of the project that you think is the most exciting, promising, or important. This could be health-related, or something about the structure, tools, or methods of the program itself. Why did it strike you, and what are the implications of the finding to you?
Comment on a particular challenge to the project (either referenced in the article, elsewhere, or something you thought of). What do you think it will take to move our understanding of epigenetics to the next level to meet these challenges?
One important aspect of this project is the focus on human studies. What populations do you think we need to focus on going forward and why (e.g. age, specific disease, diet and lifestyle factors, etc.)?
Do you think it is more important to learn about prevention or reversibility of epigenetic changes in humans? Why? Does your answer impact or change your answer to