Partitioning Analysis for Regulation of Transcription to Predict Disease-Related Genetic Variation
Navn på bevillingshaver
Rasmus Krogh Norrild
Titel
Postdoctoral Fellow
Institution
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Beløb
DKK 2,557,000
År
2025
Bevillingstype
Internationalisation Fellowships
Hvad?
I will study how tiny variations in our DNA affect our health. Many diseases like cancer, dementia, or autism are influenced by small changes in our genetic instructions, not in genes themselves, but in regulatory regions called enhancers. These enhancers act like dimmer switches for genes, controlling when they turn on or off. I aim to create a prediction tool to understand these variations.
Hvorfor?
These DNA variations can be inherited and predispose us to diseases from birth, surprisingly, they often occur far from the genes they control. Researchers at MIT discovered that molecules in our cells behave like "oil and vinegar," forming droplets that loop DNA to activate genes. Understanding how DNA variations disrupt these droplets can help predict disease risk.
Hvordan?
I will join the MIT team to study these cellular droplets using advanced techniques. By combining cell biology with cutting-edge biophysics and machine learning, I will measure how thousands of proteins and RNAs contribute to droplet formation. This will create a powerful prediction tool to understand how inherited DNA variations can cause disease, potentially enabling early intervention.