Gabriella Ficz

Gabriella Ficz is a Reader in Molecular Biology and Epigenetics at Queen Mary University of London, where she leads a research group. Her work focuses on epigenetic mechanisms at the boundary of normality and cancer, aiming to discover preventive interventions.

• Research Focus: Epigenetic regulation in cancer initiation, physiological effects of DNA methylation changes, in vivo mouse models, and ex vivo cellular systems.
• Major Funding: £3,000,000 from Barts Charity (co-PI), CRUK PhD studentships and development grants, and a Barry Reed Cancer Fund PhD studentship.
• Themes/Keywords: Cancer Evolution, Cancer Genetics, DNA Damage, Blood, and Centre for Haemato-Oncology.

Her lab contributes to understanding how epigenetic alterations drive cancer progression. She co-leads the QMUL Centre for Epigenetics and serves as an associate editor for NAR Cancer. Her publications highlight innovations in DNA methylation editing, pluripotency transitions, and senescence escape mechanisms.

• Grants: £3M Barts Charity Cell-Free Epigenomics Grant (2024-2029), CRUK CoL grants (2024-2028), and others.
• Labs & Teams: The Ficz Lab explores epigenetic ground states and their role in tissue regeneration and cancer suppression.