New Tools for Studying Epigenomes of Clinical Samples

Adam Blattler, a Research Scientist at Active Motif, gave an informative presentation on ChIP-Seq (Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Sequencing) and how it can be performed on FFPE (formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded) clinical samples. Adam gives a background on epigenetic regulation and histone modification and explains the theory behind ChIP-Seq. He describes how Swift Biosciences have developed a highly sensitivity kit, the Accel-NGS^® 2S Plus, which overcomes the problem of low abundance of chromatin, an issue encountered when using FFPE samples. Finally, Adam describes new advancements in ChIP-Seq technology such as enChIP (Engineered DNA binding molecule mediated ChIP), which can identify chromosomal looping.