Genomics and Development
March, 2025. Biology of Sex Differences 16, Article #18. In this study led by Amy Inkster, we examine DNA methylation in the human placenta on the X chromosome in over 350 placental samples. We found that the placenta has unique DNA methylation patterns on the inactive X chromosome (the second X chromosome in females, which is typically…
April 2025 Trophoblast Research. We’re excited to share a new review article by Amy, Hannah, and Wendy that tackles important issues in study design and analysis of large placental datasets. See full review here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.placenta.2025.04.014 Key highlights:
In September 2016 the International Federation of Placenta Assocations (IFPA) meeting was in lovely Portland, Oregon. To prepare for the meeting, the lab (in part) plus collaborator Alex B. hit the mountain trails in Central Oregon. What could be more inspiring than breathing in the mountain air, listening to some folk music in nearby Sisters and enjoying dinners in…
Great time kayaking out in False Creek in late Spring 2016! Poured rain and a bit cold at the end, but nothing the pub couldn’t cure after. The event celebrated the graduation of Magda P. (PhD, studying DNAm and Neural Tube Defects)and Olivia de G. (MSc studying DNAm in cord blood cells from preterm and term births…
Lab cheers their fellow grad student Olivia (goalie) of the UBC Thunderbirds en route to winning the CIS championship!
The lab has been busy in the fall and winter with a number of new publications: Kirsten Hogg (Postdoc) had a paper published in Mol Cell Endocrinol. on “Hypomethylation of the LEP gene in placenta and elevated maternal leptin concentration in early onset pre-eclampsia.” Increased levels of a hormone called leptin are found in the…
The lab and collaborators had a fun baseball game that pitted a strong red team (Captain: Magda Price) against a formidable blue one (Captain John Blair). Despite home run hits by former little league star Sean Addison, and an excellent red team double play, blue took an early lead (aided by stellar pitching by…
Congrats to Magda Price (PhD student) on her paper accepted to Epigenetics: Price EM, Cotton AM, Peñaherrera MS, McFadden DE, Kobor MS, Robinson WP. Different measures of “genome-wide” DNA methylation exhibit unique properties in placental and somatic tissues. Magda compared various approaches used in the literature as “genome-wide” methylation, and concluded that “L1, Alu and CpG…