Geneticists Find Gene Link to Common Illnesses

A report released in Nature Technology has opened up an exciting avenue in early detection of common illnesses, according to BBC News. A study was done using 17,000 people. They were looking for variations in genetic make-up. The good news, they found them.

BBC News reported that The Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) studied 2,000 individuals with 7 different conditions. There were 3,000 healthy patients included in the case study.

WTCCC, made up of 50 research groups, are studying the DNA of people suffering from depression, Crohn's disease, coronary heart disease, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 and 2 diabetes. They are researching the genetic markers to see if there are any identifiers that can forewarn the onset of these illnesses, according to BBC News.

According to the report, this new discovery could lead to multiple gene testing which would allow the patient to assess the risk of certain diseases and adjust their lifestyles accordingly.

BBC News quoted Dr. Mark Walport as saying," We have taken a big step forward in understanding the genetics underlying some of the most prevalent diseases affecting human health."

The genomes, a combination of GENE and CHROMOSOMES, that helped in the research were previously never thought to have any influence on diseases. The WTCCC had a group of 200 scientists identifying these markers, according to BBC News.

Professor Peter Donnelly was quoted by BBC News as saying, "By identifying the genes underlying these conditions, our study should enable scientists to understand better how disease occurs, which people are most at risk and, in time, to produce more effective, more personalized treatments." Donnelly is a professor of statistical science at Oxford University. He also is the Chairperson of the WTCCC.

It was reported in the article that what the WTCCC learned in these past 12 months was more than they had in the past 15 years. They are extremely excited about the type 1 and type 2 diabetes genetic codes. According to BBC News, this discovery previously unknown. The report states that they can now identify the risk of developing the disease.

BBC News, reported that WTCCC is making these findings available immediately so that all researchers have access to these results.

Source:BBC News; Serious Genes Diseases Revealed