Miguel Branco

Professor Miguel Branco serves as Professor of Genome Regulation and Centre Lead for Genomics and Child Health at the Blizard Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London. His research centers on epigenetic mechanisms governing transposable elements and their functional impact on genome stability, development, and disease pathogenesis.

He holds a Biochemistry degree from the University of Lisbon and completed his PhD at the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre in London under Prof. Ana Pombo, investigating genome spatial organization. Postdoctoral work with Prof. Wolf Reik at the Babraham Institute focused on DNA hydroxymethylation in embryonic stem cells.

His laboratory employs epigenomic profiling and molecular techniques to dissect dual roles of transposable elements: (1) repression mechanisms in somatic tissues and developmental contexts, and (2) evolutionary co-option as gene regulatory elements. Key investigations include TE-derived enhancer functions in placental evolution and oncogenesis, with emphasis on DNA modification pathways and stem cell models.

Publication analysis reveals consistent focus on transposable element regulation through epigenetic mechanisms, particularly DNA methylation/hydroxymethylation dynamics. Research spans cancer biology (leukemia enhancer formation), developmental systems (trophoblast/placental models), and fundamental genome regulation principles using embryonic stem cell paradigms.

His scientific recognition includes:

• Next Generation Fellowship from the Centre for Trophoblast Research (University of Cambridge)
• Sir Henry Dale Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust and Royal Society

He supervises PhD candidates including Darren Taylor and leads research funded through competitive fellowships. The lab maintains active collaborations within the Blizard Institute and international epigenetics consortia, with ongoing projects examining TE contributions to enhancer landscapes in mammalian trophoblast lineages.

Housed within the Blizard Institute's Centre for Genomics and Child Health, the Branco Lab operates as part of QMUL's Centre for Epigenetics. The team investigates TE regulation across developmental timepoints using multi-omics approaches, with particular emphasis on primate and rodent placental models to understand evolutionary and pathological implications.