During his postdoctoral training at Stanford under the mentorship of Howard Chang and Thomas Montine, he focused on dissecting epigenomic dysregulation in cancer and neurodegenerative disease. His work has generated atlases of the epigenomes of leukemia cells and brain cells, and paves the way to identify novel therapeutic interventions that target the intersection of genetic and epigenetic determinants of disease. His presentations have been prized at many symposiums, and he is the recipient of many awards and fellowships, most recently a K99 award from the NIH and a Scholars Award from the American Society of Hematology.
Ryan Corces studies the contributions of genetic and non-genetic factors to neurodegenerative diseases. While genetic mutations modify genes directly, non-genetic factors, such as previous illnesses, exposure to environmental chemicals, or aging, can leave lasting imprints on the epigenome, the DNA sequences and associated proteins that control gene activation. Using computational biology, large-scale screens, and single-cell technologies, Corces probes the epigenome of cells derived from patients, with the aim to understand how it impacts disease risk and to develop novel avenues for therapeutic interventions.