About Us
The International Human Epigenome Consortium (IHEC) is an international research organization that aims to collaboratively analyze and share information on the human epigenome that involves various diseases and biological phenomena by researchers worldwide to create unprecedented high-precision human epigenome maps. IHEC was initiated in 2010. Since then, multiple countries and regions, including Japan, have officially joined IHEC. The participating members of IHEC share material to be analyzed, such as cells and tissues, standardize the methodologies for analysis, promote their research and data publication, and cooperatively perform outreach activities.
In Japan, IHEC was supported by the Japanese Science and Technology Agency (JST) Strategic Basic Research Program (CREST) until 2014. Since 2015, the Innovative Advanced Research and Development Support Projects (AMED-CREST/PRIME) of the Japanese Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) have been supporting IHEC. The Japanese IHEC team participated in research activities through the CREST program entitled “Development of Fundamental Technologies for Diagnosis and Therapy Based on Epigenome Analysis” from 2011 to 2018. Since 2019, the team has been participating in the AMED-CREST/PRIME program entitled “Understanding of the Biological Phenomena and Responses at the Early Life Stages towards Improving the Quality of Health and Medical Care.” The Japanese IHEC Team’s website disseminates a wide range of information related to epigenome research to the general public.
Objectives and Roles of IHEC
Past Achievements and Future Objectives of IHEC (as of 2019)
We have analyzed 438 complete sets of epigenomes and 2,458 partial sets of epigenomes between 2011 and 2019. The results have been uploadded on the IHEC Data Portal (https://epigenomesportal.ca/ihec/) for use by researchers worldwide. IHEC has also developed new data analysis methods and applied the data and techniques to solve biological and medical problems. IHEC published initial results as 41 papers in Cell and its sister journals as a special joint release in 2016. The results are the basis for biomedical research on various issues such as cancer, kidney/metabolic disease, neurodegenerative disease, allergy/immunological disease, stem cells and their derivatives, and cellular reprogramming.
Currently, as objectives for the 2nd phase, IHEC is working to 1) develop methods to elucidate new principles of life from epigenomic data, 2) extract important information on human health and disease, and 3) expand the standard epigenomic data, through cooperation among Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Greetings
Hiroyuki Sasaki
(Program Supervisor, AMED-CREST/PRIME “Understanding of the Biological Phenomena and Responses at the Early Life Stages towards Improving the Quality of Health and Medical Care” (since 2019), Distinguished Professor, Division of Epigenomics and Development, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University)
The epigenome refers to the entire set of the "landmarks" that determine which of the tens of thousands of genes in each cell are used. At the molecular level, DNA methylation, various histone-protein modifications, and the status of higher-order chromatin structure together compose the epigenome. Abnormalities in the epigenome cause various diseases, including cancer. The drugs that reverse these abnormalities have been shown to be effective in treating hematologic tumors and are already in clinical use.
Japan joined IHEC in 2011. The CREST program entitled “Development of Fundamental Technologies for Diagnosis and Therapy Based on Epigenome Analysis” supported three teams to contribute to the international collaborative research. After that, since 2019, the AMED-CREST/PRIME program entitled “Understanding of the Biological Phenomena and Responses at the Early Life Stages towards Improving the Quality of Health and Medical Care (Early Life)” has supported projects that meet the objectives of IHEC within the scope of its goals and budget. IHEC has entered its 2nd phase and now puts more stress on single-cell analysis, intranuclear dynamics, modeling and prediction using artificial intelligence, and contribution toward understanding diseases. I believe the newly joined Japanese teams from AMED-CREST and PRIME will take on these challenges and contribute more to IHEC.
Epigenetics and epigenome have become indispensable concepts and disciplines in modern biology and medicine. The “Early Life” program aims to elucidate how biological responses to environmental stimuli occurring during the early life stages (from the fetal period to adolescence) affect health of the same period and adulthood and develop preventive and therapeutic methods for the resulting diseases. One of the ways to tackle those is studying the epigenome, which includes the contribution to IHEC. I hope to promote the “Early Life” program to help improve the health of future generations in Japan and worldwide.