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Benoukraf Lab

> Fighting Disease with Genome Analytics

Research Areas

Integrative Omics Approaches to Studying Epigenomic Drift in Disease

Our hybrid laboratory (combining wet and dry methods) focuses on developing computational tools and producing sequencing datasets for analyzing multi-omics interactions in the context of epigenomics drift.

 

Our research is divided into three main axes:

  • Investigating the chromatin dynamics regulated by transcription factors in the context of epigenomic drift.

  • Investigating the contribution of the microbiome in the epigenomic drift.

  • Investigating the contribution of the epigenomic drift in genome instability.

Overall, using integrative approaches, our laboratory’s goal is to deepen our understanding of epigenomic drift and its underlying mechanisms. By analyzing these different omics layers, we aim to better describe and understand the role of epigenomic drift in pathophysiology.

Tools & Database

NanoVar

Structural variant caller for low-depth Nanopore Sequencing in Patients’ samples

 

MethMotif

A transcription factor binding motifs database coupled with DNA methylation profiles

TFRegulomeR

Characterization of transcription factors’ context-specific features and functions

Selected Publications

Teaching

Impact de la méthylation de l’ADN sur la régulation transcriptionnelle

Biologie computationnelle des systèmes

9 Novembre 2022 à 14h

Université Saint Joseph de Beyrouth

DNA sequencing technologies

Module MED 6591

November 29th 2022, 2.00pm – 5.00pm 

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Future of Genetics

Class of 2025 / Phase 3 Schedule

Future of Genetics

January 20th, 2023 11.30am (1M101)

Memorial University of Newfoundland

 

DNA sequencing technologies

Module CDM5104

January 27th 2023 4.00pm – 6.00pm.

National University of Singapore

Medical Genetics/Cancer and Development Seminar Series

Modules MED6400 / MED6412

January 23rd – April 24th, 2023 – 12.00pm (schedule available on D2L)

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Team Members

Dr. Akinola A. Alafiatayo

MoH-TFRI / MITACS Post Doctoral Fellow

Omics in Colorectal Cancer

Dr. Hayley Alloway-Pike

Post Doctoral Fellow

Chromatin Structure

Dr. Modeline Longjohn

MoH-TFRI / MITACS Post Doctoral Fellow

Cancer Bioinformatics

Zia Hasan

PhD Student (Neuro – Qi lab)

Alzheimer’s single cell omics interplays

Matthew Dyer

PhD Student (Genetics)

DNA methylation dynamics

MethMotif maintenance

Asmaa Mahmoud

PhD student (Genetics)

Characterization of structural variants and repetitive elements

Tian Qin

PhD Student (Neuro – Qi lab)

Dynamics of single-cell brain epigenomics during fear communication

Sofiia Shapoval

Master’s Students (Genetics)

Transcription factors and DNA methylation interplays

Chen Xiang

Master’s Student (Comp. Sci.)

Z-stack images processing

Zahra Vafadoost

Master’s Student (Genetics)

Microbiome analysis

Pipeline development

Gastongay Siu

Master’s Student (Genetics)

Computational epigenomics methods

Jason Huan

Professional Associate (Invited)

Full-stack software developer

Lab News

Very delighted to have shared science with high school students during Discovery Day @ Memorial University. We hope we were able to instill a passion for genomics in these future bright scientists.

Very delighted to meet Fred Fox, Terry Fox‘s brother, who was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. The Terry Fox Research Institute, which was named in honor of Terry Fox, is a key player in cancer research in Canada, and one of our sponsors.

Seminar on structural variations in Leukemia. Invited speakers: Touati Benoukraf.

TAGC, Aix-Marseille University, France | December 16, 2022

Conference on Microbiome. Poster presentation: Akinola A. Alafiatayo.

Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA | October 25 – 29, 2022

Invited speaker (TB) at the Toronto Bioinformatics Users Group seminar.
Toronto, ON, Canada | Feb. 24th, 2021.

Epigenetics in Cancer Symposium 2021. Our team is invited to talk (TB) and Matthew is presenting a poster on MethMotif.org.
NUS – Singapore | Feb. 15-17, 2021