Challenges and future prospects for non-genetic inheritance

Recent discoveries in non-genetic inheritance (NGI) have elevated the subject from a collection of curious anomalies to serious consideration of its value for commercial, health and evolutionary research. In an attempt to gauge the importance and future potential of NGI, I have collected the opinions of leading academic and commercial researchers within the field, as well as medical professionals. Four topics came up repeatedly throughout my discussions, revealing their importance for all NGI researchers. They represent objectives, either technical or conceptual, that are central to the progression of NGI research. They were (1.1) Proving distinction from genetic inheritance, (1.2) Widespread acceptance of the importance of NGI, (1.3) Greater understanding of the mechanisms of NGI in animals and plants and (1.4) Collation and integration of NGI with other ‘omics’.The second section of this article describes three case-studies on the current state and future potential for NGI in the real-world applications of reproductive medicine, treatment of inherited disease and crop production. I wish to convey my utmost and sincere gratitude to the people who contributed their time and opinions for this article.