Dr Courtney Hanna

I am interested in elucidating the role of epigenetics in gene regulation and how the interplay between epigenetic layers defines cell identity. The archetypal role of epigenetics is to reinforce the progression from an uncommitted cell to differentiated cells during development, allowing each resulting cell type to stably express a unique combination of genes. The key question of how specific epigenetic modifications are targeted to defined regions of the genome, especially during development, has remained particularly elusive.  During my career to date, I have focussed on the mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance and gene regulation in the developing placenta. More recently, I have begun investigating the establishment of the unusual epigenetic landscape in placental development.