The likelihood of someone developing dementia is influenced by a combination of their genetics and the environment they are exposed to. However, it is not clear how these factors interact with each other to affect cells in the brain. One possible mechanism is through epigenetics – chemical modifications to the genetic material in cells that regulate gene expression.

My research aims to determine the role of epigenetic regulation in neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, using state of the art epigenetic and genomic techniques in cell populations and at the single cell level. This research has the potential to identify an epigenetic link between genetic and environmental risk in neurodegenerative diseases and identify mechanisms by which these risk factors make cells susceptible to neurodegeneration.

Please see my research profile for further information.

Find out more about my research:

• Marzi lab website

Key Publications

• Marzi, Sarah J., et al (2023). Artificial intelligence for neurodegenerative experimental models. Alzheimer's.
• Tsalenchuk, Maria, Steve M. Gentleman, and Sarah J. Marzi (2023). Linking environmental risk factors with epigenetic mechanisms in Parkinson’s disease.  NPJ Parkinsons Dis.
• Hannon, Eilis, et al (2019). Genetic risk variants for brain disorders are enriched in cortical H3K27ac domains. Mol. Brain.
• Marzi, Sarah J., et al (2018). A histone acetylome-wide association study of Alzheimer’s disease identifies disease-associated H3K27ac differences in the entorhinal cortex.  Nat. Neurosci.
• Marzi, Sarah J., et al (2018). Analysis of DNA methylation in young people: limited evidence for an association between victimization stress and epigenetic variation in blood.  Am. J. Psychiatry.

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Key Collaborators

• Dr Alexi Nott, UK DRI at Imperial College London
• Professor Jonathan Mill, University of Exeter
• Dr Emily Rocha, University of Pittsburgh
• Dr Nathan Skene, UK DRI at Imperial College London