SORS: how gene positioning shapes cell identity and oncogenesis

The spatial organization of genes within the genome offers insights into their evolutionary history and functional significance. In this talk, I will present our recent findings that essential younger genes cluster near older, essential ones, indicating a non-random arrangement that promotes evolutionary innovation. I will discuss how network-based modeling methods enhance our understanding of the role of chromatin architecture in regulating gene expression through enhancer-promoter interactions. Finally, I will connect these concepts to cancer biology, emphasizing the need for new computational approaches that integrate chromatin data to better interpret how somatic genomic translocations activate oncogenes and contribute to cancer development.