Annie Ciernia
Assistant Professor
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Faculty of Medicine
Education
North Dakota University, 2008, BSc
University of California, Irvine, 2014, PhD
University of California, Davis, 2019, Postdoctoral Fellow
Contact
Office: Djavad Mowafaghian Center for Brain Health, 4505 2215 Wesbrook Mall
Office Phone: (604) 827-0752
E-mail: annie.ciernia@ubc.ca
Website: https://ciernialab.med.ubc.ca/, https://www.centreforbrainhealth.ca/ciernia-annie-vogel
Research Interests
Check out my new lab press release with Spectrum News.
The Ciernia laboratory combines experimental and computational approaches to understand how epigenetic mechanisms regulate gene expression across our lifespan. The lab specifically focuses on mechanisms of epigenetic regulation in multiple brain cell populations across normal brain and immune system development and in rodent models of neurodevelopmental disorders. We test novel hypotheses linking genetic and environmental risk factors to altered patterns of gene expression, epigenomic regulatory pathways, cellular function and animal behaviour. Findings from our research will increase our understanding of the basic mechanisms regulating gene expression in the brain and form the basis for future development of novel immune targeted therapeutics for neurodevelopmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Research Areas
Comprehensive List
Selected Publications
- Rowland, M. E., Jajarmi, J. M., Osborne, T., & Ciernia, A. V. (2022). Insights Into the Emerging Role of Baf53b in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Frontiers in molecular neuroscience, 15, 805158.
- Hughes, H.K., Rowland, M.E., Onore, C.E., Ciernia, A.V. & Ashwood, P.A. Dysregulated gene expression associated with inflammatory and translation pathways in activated monocytes from children with autism spectrum disorder. Transl Psychiatry 12, 39 (2022).
- Jao J., Ciernia A.V. (2021). MGEnrichment: A web application for microglia gene list enrichment analysis. PLoS Comput Biol 17(11): e1009160.
- Kim, J. & A.V. Ciernia. (2020). Chromatin dynamics and genetic variation combine to regulate innate immune memory. Journal of Clinical & Cellular Immunology. 11(4):1-5.
- Ciernia, A.V., Link, V.M., Careaga, M., Lasalle, J.M., & Ashwood, P. (2020). Genetic variants drive epigenetic regulation of endotoxin tolerance in BTBR macrophages. Brain, Behavior and Immunity. S0889-1591(20)30260-9.