The Regulatory Genomics and Bioinformatics Lab, led by Dr. Alejandra Medina-Rivera at the Laboratorio Internacional de Investigación sobre el Genoma Humano (LIIGH-UNAM), specializes in understanding how gene expression is regulated in health and disease using computational approaches. The lab combines functional genomics, genetic epidemiology, and bioinformatics tool development to uncover the mechanisms by which genetic variation, environmental stimuli, and regulatory elements interact to influence human traits.


https://liigh.unam.mx/amedina/

Regulatory Network Modeling: The lab develops and applies computational models to identify transcription factors and non-coding regulatory elements that govern gene expression, especially in response to immune signals or disease states.

Bioinformatics Tool Development: Dr. Medina-Rivera is co-leader of the Regulatory Sequence Analysis Tools (RSAT) suite, widely used for the analysis of transcription factor binding sites and regulatory motifs.

Integration of Multi-Omics Data: The team builds pipelines that integrate genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, and single-cell data to identify gene regulatory mechanisms and context-specific transcriptional programs.

Genomic Diversity and Complex Traits: The lab investigates how genetic ancestry and population-specific variation impact gene regulation and disease risk, with a focus on Latin American populations.

Cohort Building and Translational Genomics: Through initiatives like LupusRGMX, Mex-PD, TwinsMX, and Project JAGUAR, the lab generates and analyzes large-scale datasets from underrepresented populations, facilitating the study of autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases.