An international study, led by scientists at Imperial College London, has identified a number of versions of genes that appear to greatly increase an individual's chances of developing asthma.
The researchers looked at the DNA of more than 26,000 people, including 10,000 with asthma and a further 16,000 healthy volunteers.
Tests identified seven areas of the genome in which people with asthma showed differences when compared to people without asthma.
Commenting on the findings, which are published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Professor William Cookson from Imperial College London said: 'One of the problems with asthma research has been choosing where to intervene in the disease pathways.
'Our study now highlights targets for effective asthma therapies, and suggests that therapies against these targets will be of use to large numbers of asthmatics in the population.'
The study also suggests that asthma is not a single disease, and that asthma which develops in childhood may be biologically different from asthma that is acquired in adulthood.
_________________________________________________________
Posts
