The major study of cholesterol has identified 21 new gene variants linked with heart disease, it was announced last night.
The International IBC Lipid Genetics Consortium, which comprises more than 180 international researchers, used the gene analysis tool Cardiochip to examine data from over 90,000 people with European ancestry.
Dr Brendan Keating, scientist at the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, USA, who invented the Cardiochip, and Dr Fotios Drenos, of University College London, UK, went on to use the device in a discovery dataset of over 65,000 people from 32 previous studies.
They then looked at further studies that involved more than 125,000 people.
From this meta-analysis, the consortium identified 21 novel genes that were linked with levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), also known as “bad cholesterol”; high-density lipoproteins (HDL), known as “good cholesterol”; total cholesterol (TC); and triglycerides (TG).
The study, which was published yesterday (October 11) in the American Journal of Human Genetics, also verified 49 known signals and found that some of the strongest signals appeared to be gender-specific.
“To date, this is the largest number of DNA samples ever used in a study for lipid traits, it clearly shows the value of using broad-ranging global scientific collaborations to yield new gene signals,” says Dr Keating.
Dr Hélène Wilson, research adviser at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said: “This large study has provided us with a valuable insight into our genes, which could potentially help us in the fight to beat heart disease.
“This research reinforces the importance of deciphering the genetic code to allow us to explore new avenues for better targeted drugs and treatments.
“We now need to see additional studies to build on these findings and further investigate the impact of this discovery on the nation’s heart health.”
Keating B, Drenos F et al. Large-Scale Gene-Centric Meta-analysis across 32 Studies Identifies Multiple Lipid Loci. American Journal of Human Genetics October 11 2012; doi 10.1016/j.ajhg.2012.08.032
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