Increasingly, the field of epigenomics is making important contributions to cancer research and treatment. This task force seeks to discover innovative strategies for applying today's best science to this exciting research area, which holds promise for major advances in cancer treatment and prevention, and for other diseases as well. The goals of the task force are to: (1) finalize the approximate number of epigenomes to be defined at high resolution; (2) specify which histone modification marks should be included in the initial definition of the epigenome; (3) constitute subcommittees to discuss specific tissues which could be investigated at a high level of definition; (4) define a series of tissues and pathological states, such as cancer, which could be investigated at a lower level of resolution with respect to histone modification marks and DNA cytosine methylation patterns; (5) develop cost estimates and stages for the project, based on current and anticipated technology, including emerging sequencing platforms; and (6) develop a timetable for the implementation of an Alliance for the Human Epigenome and Disease (AHEAD) Project.
Read the Special Report on the AACR Human Epigenome Workshop.
Read the Task Force's Proposal for an International AHEAD Pilot Project.
Leadership of the Human Epigenome Task Force
Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc., Chairperson
University of Southern California/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
Los Angeles, CA
Executive Committee Members
Stephen B. Baylin, M.D.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD
Bradley E. Bernstein, M.D., Ph.D.
Massachusetts General Hospital
Charleston, MA
John M. Greally, M.B., B.Ch., Ph.D.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bronx, NY
Dirk Schübeler, Ph.D.
Friedrich-Miescher-Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI)
Basel, Switzerland
Thea Dorothy Tlsty, Ph.D.
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Toshikazu Ushijima, M.D., Ph.D.
National Cancer Center Research Institute
Tokyo, Japan
Membership of the Human Epigenome Task Force
Trevor K. Archer, Ph.D.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Research Triangle Park, NC
Stephan Beck, Ph.D.
UCL Cancer Institute
London, England
Shelley Berger, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Philadelphia, PA
John D. Carpten, Ph.D.
TGen
Phoenix, AZ
Susan J. Clark , Ph.D.
Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Sydney, Australia
Joseph F. Costello, Ph.D.
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Rebecca W. Doerge, Ph.D.
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN
Manel Esteller, M.D., Ph.D.
Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitg (IDIBELL)
Barcelona, Spain
Andrew P. Feinberg, M.D.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD
Thomas R. Gingeras, Ph.D.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cold Spring Harbor, NY
Steven Henikoff, Ph.D.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Seattle, WA
James G. Herman, M.D.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD
Laurie Jackson-Grusby, Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA
Thomas Jenuwein, Ph.D.
Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology
Freiburg, Germany
Randy L. Jirtle, Ph.D.
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, NC
Young-Joon Kim, Dr.P.H.
Yonsei University
Seoul, Korea
Peter W. Laird, Ph.D.
University of Southern California Epigenome Center
Los Angeles, CA
Bing Lim, M.D., Ph.D., FRCP(C)
Genome Institute of Singapore
Genome, Singapore
Robert Martienssen, Ph.D.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Cold Spring Harbor, NY
Kornelia Polyak, M.D., Ph.D.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, MA
Henk Stunnenberg, Ph.D.
Radboud University Nijmegen
GA Nijmegen, Netherlands
Benjamin Tycko, M.D., Ph.D.
Columbia University
New York, NY
Jingde Zhu, Ph.D.
Shanghai Cancer Institute
Shanghai, China
Staff contact: Kimberly A. Sabelko, Ph.D., Senior Program Administrator, Executive Office (kimberly.sabelko@aacr.org or 215-440-9300).