Idaghdour Lab — Environmental Genomics

Research Interests

The overarching goal of our group is to understand how genomes and environment interact at various levels of biological variation, moving from the architecture of the genome itself to protein function and transitioning through the complex modes of epigenetic and gene expression regulation.

We are particularly interested in studying the role genetic and environmental factors play in shaping health-related phenotypes and how interactions between these effects trigger disease and modulate its outcome. We do most of our experimental research on mammalian systems and we focus on metabolic traits and immune response to cancer and infection. To achieve these goals, we generate high-dimensional genomic datasets from single-cells, tissues, and cells, and use bioinformatics and statistical genetic approaches to analyze the data.

Our lab is also interested in the area of ecological genomics and we are actively involved in developing genetic tools to facilitate population genetic analysis of endangered marine and wildlife species.

Current Projects and Research Focus

Current projects and collaborations in the lab focus on the following areas:

  • Single-cell genomic profiling of immune response
  • Gene-environment interactions in mammalian immune systems
  • Genomic profiling of host-pathogen interactions
  • Systems genomics of cardio-metabolic traits
  • Wild and marine life conservation and population genetics