Epigenetics Changes Everything: Revisiting the Nature vs. Nurture Debate

C. David Allis, Alan Alda, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, James and Marilyn Simons. On Tuesday, October 6, 2015, The Rockefeller University hosted its fourth annual CELEBRATING SCIENCE benefit lecture and dinner, sponsored by the Parents & Science initiative. President Marc Tessier-Lavigne and special guest Alan Alda co-hosted the evening, which honored James and Marilyn Simons. This year’s featured lecturer was internationally renowned Rockefeller scientist C. David Allis, Ph.D., recipient of a 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, who presented a lecture entitled, “Epigenetics Changes Everything: Revisiting the Nature vs. Nurture Debate.” Dr. Allis’s research has been especially important in the field of cancer biology. His investigations of epigenetic processes have led to a therapeutic breakthrough for certain leukemias and, more recently, to clinically relevant insights into the causes of specific classes of pediatric brain tumors.