Blood pressure genes discovered
Friday February 21st, 2014
Eleven new genes that are central to the cause of high blood pressure and heart disease have been discovered, it was announced yesterday.
The
research was undertaken at Queen Mary University of London.
The announcement by Professor Patricia Munroe, Professor of Molecular Medicine, about the DNA sequence variants will provide vital insight into how the body regulates blood pressure.
It is hoped the findings will influence the development of new treatments but in the immediate future, it highlights opportunities to investigate the use of existing drugs for cardiovascular diseases.
“With further research, we are hopeful it could lead to the development of new treatments for treating blood pressure and heart disease – a leading cause of death worldwide,” said Professor Munroe.
The large international study, published yesterday (20 February) in the American Journal of Human Genetics, examined the DNA of 87,736 people, while validation of the sequence variants was performed in a further 68,368 individuals. This analysis led to the identification of 11 new genes.
Michael Barnes, Director of Bioinformatics, Barts and The London NIHR Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit, Queen Mary University of London, said: “By highlighting several existing drugs that target proteins which influence blood pressure regulation, our study creates a very real opportunity to fast-track new therapies for hypertension into the clinic."
Researchers from Queen Mary collaborated on the research with scientists from the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University Medical Center Utrecht, in the Netherlands.
American Journal of Human Genetics 20 February 2014
Tags: Genetics | Heart Health | UK News
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