Dr Miguel Branco

Miguel is currently a Reader at Queen Mary University of London and he is based at the Blizard Institute, part of the School of Medicine and Dentistry.

His research focuses on the epigenetic regulation of transposable elements (TEs). Almost half of the human genome is made up of TEs, and a proportion of these remain active and mobile. Therefore, their transcription needs to be tightly controlled to prevent mutagenic events. On the other hand, TEs have made help to drive genome evolution, often contributing with gene regulatory elements, amongst other genetic components. Miguel’s lab uses epigenomic approaches and molecular biology tools, mainly on cell culture models (e.g., ESCs, TSCs), to investigate the epigenetic mechanisms involved in these two seemingly opposing facets of TE biology. His group aims to elucidate the functional roles that TEs play in the contexts of development, health and disease.