A new COST Action relevant to the B4EST community, EPI-CATCH “EPIgenetic mechanisms of Crop Adaptation To Climate cHange” has begun.
Its objective is to define, develop, generate and share new breaking knowledge and methodologies for the investigation of epigenetic mechanisms modulating plant adaptation to environmental stresses driven by climate change. So far, no international network has been created with the aim of standardizing methodology in plant epigenetics/epigenomics and better integrate these data with other “omic” approaches. EPI-CATCH will create a pan-European framework for networking in this under-investigated research field.
More information can be found on their website https://www.cost.eu/cost-action/epigenetic-mechanisms-of-crop-adaptation-to-climate-change
Briefly: EPI-CATCH has been designed to address the following issues:
- the scarce research investment in developing methods and infrastructure for plant epigenetics/epigenomics,
- the heterogenous and complex nature of epigenetic mechanisms,
- the significant impact derived by new epigenetic discoveries.
EPI-CATCH has 3 main challenges in epigenetics/epigenomics: 1) improving lab methodology. 2) improving in silico data analysis and 3) better integration of epigenomic data with other “omic” data.
For each country, persons interested in the project could contact the member of the Management Committee representing their country – you can find the full list here: https://www.cost.eu/cost-action/epigenetic-mechanisms-of-crop-adaptation-to-climate-change/#tabs|Name:management-committee
Image: Pixabay/Geralt