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Chemical compounds that modify, or mark, the genome in a way that tells it what to do, where to do it and when to do it, is known as the epigenome. Not part of the DNA itself, these epigenomes can be passed on from cell to cell as they divide, and from one generation to the next. Mapping the human genome expanded our understanding of the genetic basis of health, and new maps of the human epigenome hold the promise of further discovery.

Currently, more than 100 types of cells and tissues have been epigenomically mapped by researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health Common Fund’s Roadmap Epigenomics Program. The data, available to the biomedical research community, can be found at the National Center for Biotechnology Information website.