A newly-discovered gene causes tumours on the spinal cord, British researchers announced last night.
The researchers in Manchester now hope their work will lead to the development of screening and treatments for meningiomas.
The gene, SMARCE1, is thought to be involved in making some families susceptible to the disease.
It was identified in three people with multiple tumours on the spine.
About a 1,000 people in the UK population will suffer from meningiomas in the head and spine.
The problem particularly affects people with another genetic disorder neurofibromatosis.
The researchers reported their findings in Nature Genetics last night.
Researcher Professor Gareth Evans, a geneticist at St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, said: “This is internationally groundbreaking research in which we have identified the gene that causes an inherited version of spinal meningioma, a tumour that occurs on the lining of the brain and spinal cord and which is prevalent in NF2 patients.
"The next step is to develop a screening programme to assess the risk of developing spinal tumours for individuals in affected families and to investigate possible treatments to prevent spinal tumours from growing."
Nature Genetics 3 February 2013 [abstract]
Leave a Reply