The Birmingham Centre for Genome Biology (BCGB) brings together experts from across the University of Birmingham who are working in diverse settings and research fields but who share the goal of understanding at a deep molecular level several key aspects of how genomes function.
More than 30 principal investigators have come together to focus on basic research into mechanisms that maintain and regulate the eukaryotic genome. They represent several key areas of modern molecular biology which include:
(i) transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation,
(ii) genomics and epigenomics,
(iii) functional genomics,
(iv) DNA replication,
(v) DNA repair, and
(vi) genome stability.
These activities are being applied to fundamentally important model systems such as the development of blood cells and the immune system, as well as mechanisms that contribute to cancers such as leukaemia.
The research groups within BCGB recognise the need for an integrated approach to studying the structure and function of genomes in complex regulatory systems, and for the application and adaptation of the latest innovative technologies. They wish to link their basic research interests with the outstanding translational research undertaken at University of Birmingham and the adjoining National Health Trusts within Birmingham Health Partners. They also recognise the benefits of interacting with the newly founded Joint Centre for Environmental Omics (JCEO) led by John Colbourne and the Institute for Computational Biology (ICB) led by Jean Baptiste Cazier.
The unique local setting of the BCGB is ideal for the integration of the basic research performed across the University of Birmingham with the clinical research and resources available within the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Birmingham Women’s Hospital across an integrated academic, medical and life sciences campus. This pairing, together with the Birmingham Children’s Hospital, strongly enhances the ability of clinical groups to develop stratified medicine approaches.