“Epigenopathies” in Autism and Epigenetic Therapy in Current Use - Part 1
Today’s post is about epigenetics, a complex area of science, that has been touched upon in previous posts. Since none of us are experts in genetics we will focus on the application of epigenetics rather than going into the excruciating details. Skip over any parts that get too technical. Some of the interesting studies, that are of more academic interest, I will put in a later post. Epigenetics is just one way in which gene expression (whether genes are turned on or off) can be altered. There are other ways, which may be equally important. It is evident that epigenetics plays a role in many conditions including autism, schizophrenia, inflammation, asthma, COPD and cancer. Even based on today’s highly superficial review, there is an immediate, practical, therapeutic prospect, worthy of investigation. Thanks to Professor Peter Barnes in London and again those irrepressible researchers in Tehran, who were actually trialing theophylline for entirely different reasons. Yo...