Carolina’s integrative and interdisciplinary research programs are consistently at the forefront of innovation and translation. The work our researchers are conducting on “genomes to biology” particularly exemplifies the call of UNC’s strategic plan, Carolina Next: Innovations for Public Good.
For instance, the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center was one of 12 centers that participated in the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Genome Atlas program, the goal of which is to use high-throughput genomic techniques to identify genetic variants that correlate with specific cancer classifications. The data have had enormous impact on therapeutic approaches. The genomic variants are often correlative, though, and it is not known whether the genetic variants are causing the tumor or are a result of having the tumor. Discovering how gene variants translate into disease phenotypes such as cancer requires mechanistic understanding of biology.
Answering such questions is the Integrative Program for Biological & Genome Sciences (iBGS), created by Bob Duronio after he recognized the need to bridge genomic variants to biological processes. The mission of the iBGS program is to promote research into the mechanisms by which molecules and cells coordinate organism development and function using model systems and genomics approaches. The iBGS website highlights several commentaries and short editorials by international leaders articulating the need for model organisms to understand the biological mechanisms behind human genomic variation.
The acknowledgment that “genomes to biology” is at the forefront of biological and biomedical sciences has recently been highlighted in the journal Science and will be addressed in the February 2020 Functional Genomics Workshop, organized by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The purpose of the workshop is to discuss goals, strategies, and technical needs required to translate DNA variation into biology.