The paper identifies systemic epigenetic variants linked to periconceptional environments in human fetal development, finding more variants in Black Americans and associations with cancer and neurodevelopment.

bioRxiv · Jun 16, 2026 · PreprintMolecular Biology

DNA methylation marks associated with body composition in children from India and the Gambia - findings from the EMPHASIS study

Prachand Issarapu, Manisha Arumalla, Elie Antoun, Chiara Di Gravio, Kate Anna Ward, Caroline H. D. Fall, Andrew M. Prentice, Giriraj R. Chandak, Matt J. Silver, the EMPHASIS Study Group

The paper identifies DNA methylation marks linked to body composition traits in children from India and The Gambia using an epigenome-wide association study.

DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) · Jun 1, 2026Peer-reviewedGenomics

KZFP-mediated variable DNA methylation of a primate-specific transposon is linked to type I diabetes in humans

Maria Derakhshan, Prachand Issarapu, Andrew M. Prentice, Julius A Kuebel, Sophie E. Moore, Robin M. Bernstein, Abdul Karim Sesay, Mariama Jammeh, Robert A. Waterland, Garrett Hellenthal, Michaël Imbeault, Matt J. Silver

The paper links KZFP-mediated DNA methylation of a primate-specific transposon to type 1 diabetes risk through genetic and epigenetic analyses.

medRxiv · Apr 22, 2025 · PreprintGenetic & Genomic Medicine

DNA methylation at the suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) gene influences height in childhood

Prachand Issarapu, Manisha Arumalla, Hannah R. Elliott, Suraj Singh Nongmaithem, Alagu Sankareswaran S., Modupeh Betts, Sara Sajjadi, Noah J. Kessler, Swati Bayyana, Sohail Rafik Mansuri, Maria Derakhshan, Ghattu V. Krishnaveni, Smeeta Shrestha, Kalyanaraman Kumaran, Chiara Di Gravio, , Stephen Owens

This study identifies DNA methylation at the SOCS3 gene as a factor influencing child height in low and middle-income countries, with a causal effect confirmed by Mendelian randomization.

Nature Communications · Aug 25, 2023Peer-reviewedGenomics

Environmentally sensitive hotspots in the methylome of the early human embryo

Matt J. Silver, Ayden Saffari, Noah J. Kessler, Gririraj R Chandak, Caroline HD Fall, Prachand Issarapu, Akshay Dedaniya, Modupeh Betts, Sophie E. Moore, Michael N Routledge, Zdenko Herceg, Cyrille Cuenin, Maria Derakhshan, Philip T James, David Monk, Andrew M. Prentice

The paper identifies CpGs in the early human embryo methylome associated with season of conception, showing environmental influences on DNA methylation.

eLife · Feb 21, 2022Peer-reviewedGenomics