معرفی
Professor Chris Ponting serves as Chair of Medical Bioinformatics and Principal Investigator at the MRC Human Genetics Unit within the Institute of Genetics and Cancer at the University of Edinburgh. He leads the Biomedical Genomics section and directs a research group focused on causal variants and mechanisms in complex traits and diseases.
His educational background includes a B.A. in Physics (1986) from the University of Oxford, an M.Sc. in Physics (1988) from the University of British Columbia, and a DPhil in Biophysics (1991) from the University of Oxford.
Ponting's research spans bioinformatics, genomics, and evolutionary biology. His group uses cutting-edge analytical approaches in genomics, transcriptomics, and cell biology to trace causal links from DNA variation to physiological outcomes. Current major projects include pinpointing DNA variants that alter complex disease risk using the TarGene algorithm, developing the Stator method for inferring cell states in single-cell RNA-seq data, and leading the DecodeME project - the world's largest genetic study into ME/CFS with 18,000 DNA participants.
His research output shows a strong focus on genomic analysis, protein science, and molecular mechanisms in disease, with recent work spanning from fundamental genome architecture to clinical applications in conditions like ME/CFS and critical COVID-19.
- Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences
- Member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation
Ponting has served on editorial boards of major journals including Genome Research, Genome Biology, and Human Molecular Genetics, and was Senior Editor of eLife until 2015. He previously served as Head of the UK Node of ELIXIR and Chair of EMBL-EBI's External Training Advisory Group, and founded CGAT, an MRC-funded training center. His research group includes several PhD students and is supported by funding from MRC, Wellcome, NIHR, and patient organizations.
The Ponting research group operates within the MRC Human Genetics Unit at the University of Edinburgh, collaborating with researchers across the institution including Prof. Georg Hollander at Oxford and Drs. Ava Khamseh and Sjoerd Beentjes at Edinburgh. The group is actively involved in both fundamental genomic research and translational projects with direct clinical applications.
