About the Webinar
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed thousands of genetic variants linked to complex diseases such as arthritis—yet most lie in non-coding, cell-type specific regulatory regions far from the genes they influence. This spatial complexity makes translating genetic discoveries into clinical insight a formidable challenge. Join us to see how spatial genome biology is bridging the gap between GWAS signals and gene function, illuminating paths toward better diagnostics and therapeutics for arthritis.
Key Takeaways
- How most genetic risk variants for complex diseases – including arthritis – reside in the genome’s “dark matter”: cell type-specific regulatory DNA far from the genes they control.
- Why traditional GWAS approaches fall short in linking these distant regulatory elements to disease mechanisms, and how 3D genomics bridges that gap.
- How cutting-edge Hi-C and multi-omics technologies reveal physical interactions between genes and their regulatory landscapes, uncovering the hidden circuitry of disease.
- How integrating 3D genome maps with epigenomic and transcriptomic data transforms our ability to pinpoint causal variants and translate genetic findings into therapeutic insights.
Meet the Speakers
Gisela Orozco
University of ManchesterGisela is a Professor of Functional Genomics and the director of the Centre for Genetics and Genomics Versus Arthritis at the University of Manchester. Her main research interest is the genetics of complex diseases, with a focus on using functional genomics to understand how genetic variants affect genes and biological mechanisms that drive disease.
