A public lecture will be taking place as part of this years Epigenetics Scientic Conference. Professor Moshe Szyf from McGill University, Canada will be presenting his topic The epigenome - the missing link between nurture and nature; implications for health and disease.

To secure your place at the lecture, please email Hamish at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with your name, organisation and email address.

This lecture is likely to interest patient groups, supporters of research, scientists and medical researchers of various backgrounds. The lecture will be followed by a discussion with a panael of experts in the field. Light refreshments will be provided.

Date and time: Monday November 30th, 2009, 6.30pm - 7.30pm
Venue: Ella Latham Lecture Theatre, First floor, Royal Children’s Hospital, Flemington Road, Parkville, Melbourne.
Speaker: Professor Moshe Szyf, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Original title: “The epigenome - the missing link between nurture and nature; implications for health and disease”   
Hosted by: Murdoch Childrens Research Institute & Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne

Abstract:
The DNA that we inherit from our ancestors is “programmed” during our development by another layer of machinery - the epigenome. Each cell type in our body from hair cells to brain cells has its own unique epigenome, which is a set of chemical tags that tells the genes within a cell what to do. The epigenome is also highly sensitive to environments such as diet, stress, care, drugs and poisons. Thus, in addition to our genetic heritage, exposures early in life may impact our behaviour and health throughout the rest of our life. Professor Szyf will discuss data from many studies supporting these ideas. Also, as epigenome tags are potentially reversible, he will explain how in the future we may be able to identify and reverse the effects of adverse environment previously encountered by us and even by our parents.