Yehudit Bergman

Yehudit Bergman elucidated how epigenetic memory mechanisms including DNA methylation and histone modifications establish and maintain monoallelic gene expression and lineage commitment in immune cells, with implications for understanding how cancer cells lock in oncogenic transcriptional programs through similar epigenetic mechanisms. Her work on epigenetic stability at the immunoglobulin loci revealed how multi-layered chromatin modifications create robust epigenetic memory that resists reprogramming, a principle exploited by cancer cells to maintain drug-resistant states. She investigates approaches to erase pathological epigenetic memory in cancer cells to restore sensitivity to differentiation therapy.