The Hagler Institute for Advanced Study announced that eleven researchers from Texas A&M University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are recipients of the second annual Rogers/Huang Medal for Research Collaboration. The award was presented on Aug. 26, 2026.
The medal recognizes collaborative research papers authored by teams including a current or former Hagler Fellow or Distinguished Lecturer and a Texas A&M student. This year’s winning submission is titled "Non-Mendelian inheritance of DNA methylation patterns in mice." The authors utilized advanced DNA sequencing technologies to measure genetic variants and epigenetic modifications on individual DNA molecules.
Their findings revealed that approximately 7% of epigenetic marks are inherited differently than predicted by classical Mendelian genetics.
The study identified unexpected inheritance patterns, including paramutation and emergent epigenetic traits. These results lay the foundation for integrating genetic and environmental contributions to disease risk and potentially reversing disease risk through epigenetic mechanisms.
John Junkins, founding director of the Hagler Institute, stated, "The Hagler Institute is pleased to present the second Rogers/Huang Medal in partnership with John Rogers and Yonggang Huang." He noted that 24 works were submitted for this year’s contest, demonstrating the power of collaboration and mentorship.
The multidisciplinary team was co-led by Andrew P. Feinberg, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Epigenetics at Johns Hopkins and professor of bioengineering at Tel Aviv University.
