It seems that UK’s biggest killer has been bought to light. Coronary heart disease is the biggest treat as it kills one in four men and one in six women each year. One of the major risk factor for the development of Coronary Heart Disease is high levels of low density lipoprotein, (LDL). Researchers have, now, discovered a chromosomal region that could be strongly associated with LDL. This path breaking research could pave the way for new therapies for the disease.
Led by Professor Patricia Munroe, Dr Chris Wallace and Professor Mark Caulfield, of the William Harvey Research Institute at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, researchers worked on the hypothesis that genetic variation may influence the inheritance of biochemical traits, which in turn may serve as risk factors for common cardiovascular diseases or associated complications. They analysed 25 commonly assessed biochemical variables from concurrent serum and urine samples taken from hypertensive individuals involved in the MRC British Genetics of Hypertension (BRIGHT) study. For lipid traits, a meta-analysis was performed with data from the Diabetes Genetics Initiative at the BROAD Institute.The study indicates that common genetic variation influences biochemical parameters which are measured in everyday clinical care.
Professor Patricia Munroe said: “Our study found new genes for serum LDL, the cholesterol which furs arteries, and serum urate, which can cause gout. We believe our findings are of significant clinical importance as they are strongly associated with cardiovascular disease; they also represent excellent targets for new medicines.?
Source-Eurekalert
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