Outline of current knowledge gaps
| Current fundamental research question | Context | Potential line of enquiry |
|---|---|---|
| What part of the genome should be the focus for analysis of DNA methylation levels? | CpG islands | Promoter regions |
| 1st exon | ||
| Transcription factor binding sites | ||
| CpG shores | ||
| Non-coding DNA | ||
| How do exposures during gestation affect epigenetic markings? | Environment | Longitudinal samples, lifestyle information, measures of epigenetic markings |
| Diet/lifestyle | ||
| How does the epigenome change over time? | Environment | Longitudinal samples, clinical and lifestyle information needed to assess influences |
| Diet/lifestyle | ||
| Epigenetic drift | ||
| Cause and effect | ||
| To what degree does DNA methylation change over the lifecourse? | Subtle changes | More evidence of the link between DNA methylation and phenotype |
| Biomarker | Persistence | |
| DNA methylation as a predictor of disease progression | ||
| DNA methylation as a predictor of response to treatment or drug efficacy | ||
| What is the extent of trans-generational transmission of acquired epigenetic patterns? | Number of generations | Animal models |
| Offspring–parent triads with quantitative, allele specific methylation measures | ||
| What are the potential therapeutic options available after epigenetic changes have occurred? | Environment | Longitudinal samples, clinical and lifestyle information needed to assess influences |
| Diet/lifestyle | ||
| How can epigenetics be integrated with other ‘omics’ technologies? | Transcriptomics | Correlation with expression |
| Genomics | Relationship with SNPs | |
| Network analysis | ||
| Bayesian and other statistical approaches |
SNPs, single nucleotide polymorphisms.