Epigenome and Genome Editing Approaches & Screening in Development and Disease

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editor

Havva Ortabozkoyun Kara

New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine at Smilow Research Center, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York, USA

Dr. Havva Ortabozkoyun-Kara is a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Dr. Danny Reinberg in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine / Smilow Research Center. She received her BSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Middle East Technical University (METU) in 2010, where she was awarded Erasmus Scholarship in Turkey and another scholarship from The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK). She then obtained her MSc degree in Cancer Genomics and Developmental Biology from Utrecht University (UU) in the Netherlands in 2012, when she was supported by an excellence scholarship (Huygens Scholarship) from the Dutch government and selected into an extracurricular honor program (Xtrack Program) at Utrecht University. She received her PhD in Stem Cell Biology from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine - Vilcek Institute of Graduate Biomedical Sciences in USA in 2022, funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). She was selected for the Special McCracken Award representing Stem Cell Biology Program at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine for leadership and scholastic achievement. Dr. Ortabozkoyun-Kara has gained research experience in various areas including stem cell biology, epigenetics, nuclear organization, and cancer genomics at multiple institutions including the NYU Grossman School of Medicine – Smilow Research Center/HHMI, The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI-AVL) and the Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research over the years. She has also organized an international symposium in “Epigenetics” in Utrecht University with a small selected group, presented posters at conferences and given talks in multiple institutions around the world. She has published in highly ranked peer-reviewed journals such as Cell, Nature Genetics and Science Advances. Dr. Ortabozkoyun-Kara is highly skilled in the design and analysis of genetic and biochemical screens to address the epigenetic mechanisms underlying development and disease. She is interested in pursuing a career as a Principal Investigator in Epigenetic Mechanisms in Stem Cell Biology & Cancer. Her current research focus is on insulation factors such as CTCF and MAZ at chromatin boundaries between active and repressed genes during development and disease processes.

Collection Overview

Genome editing is critical for the development of tools that provide inroads into understanding the mechanisms underlying many biological processes, including development and disease. In addition to various methods applied in several model organisms, CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing has emerged as a powerful technology that both broadens and accelerates genome editing in the last decade. CRISPR/Cas9 tools allow efficient modulation of both genetic and epigenetic structures within a cell or an organism. These tools can be utilized not only for deletion and insertion of sequences within the genome, but also for targeting and recruitment of various modulators into specific loci. Within the wealth of currently developed methods, the CRISPR/Cas9 realm constitutes a valuable addition for designing screens that address numerous bio/medical questions. However, it is challenging to design, adapt, modulate, and deliver the epi/genome editing tools into the given cell or organism. Depending on the model system and/or disease process, the methodology could be complicated, requiring careful optimization. In order to enhance the accessibility and utility of genome editing approaches across bio/medical sciences, it is necessary to collect and detail those applications that have been successful. This Methods Collection highlights different epi/genome editing approaches and methods utilized by leading experts to understand, model, treat and/or modulate the mechanisms involved in development and disease processes to advance such applications across the biomedical sciences.