News
International study finds 16 areas of genetic code related to lung health, sheds light on lung diseases
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – An international group of scientists, including University of Virginia researchers, have discovered 16 new sections of the genetic code that relate to lung health — opening up the possibility for better prevention and treatment for lung diseases.
An international consortium of 175 scientists from 126 centers in Europe, the United States and Australia identified genetic variants associated with the health of the human lung. Their discovery sheds new light on the molecular basis of lung diseases like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
“COPD is the fourth most common cause of death worldwide; it is a progressive disease that makes it increasingly hard for people to breathe,” says Steven Rich, PhD, director of the University of Virginia Center for Public Health Genomics and a major contributor to the new study. “Although smoking is the most important risk for developing COPD, not all smokers are equally likely to develop COPD. We believe that these differences in risk are due, in part, to the genetic variants people carry.”
Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency is the most important known genetic cause of emphysema, one of the main components of COPD.
The research, published online Sept. 25 in Nature Genetics, marks the first time these 16 common genetic variants have been definitively linked with lung function. Researchers say these newly discovered pathways could be prime targets for medications.
