HARDEN is applied to generate a patient derived iPSC model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD) that recapitulates DNA methylation patterns seen in patients, demonstrating that DNA methylation of the 5′ regulatory region directly reduces C9orf72 expression and increases histone H3K9 tri-methylation levels. The gene discussed is C9orf72; the disease is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.