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| Name |
Jones, Peter A. |
| Location
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Van Andel Institute |
| Primary Field
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Medical Genetics, Hematology and Oncology |
 Election Citation
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Jones was the first to mechanistically link DNA methylation, gene expression and differentiation. His seminal discovery that 5-azanucleosides could change embryonic fibroblasts into muscle cells opened the field of epigenetics and was an early example of cellular reprogramming. He then demonstrated the pivotal role of epigenetics in human cancer. |
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Research Interests
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Peter Jones' laboratory studies the role of DNA cytosine methylation in epigenetics. He is particularly interested in determining how altered DNA methylation patterns contribute to the initiation and progression of human cancers. He has developed genome-wide approaches for investigating the links between the covalent marks on DNA and histone proteins and how the interactions between these shape the function of the epigenome. He works with physicians and drug companies to develop epigenetic therapies for cancer patients. More recently he has become interested in potential roles for the activation of endogenous retroviruses in the responses of patients to these therapies. |
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