Gene That Modifies Severity Of Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease Found

ScienceDaily (Mar. 4, 2009) — Researchers have discovered a gene that modifies the severity of lung disease in people with the lethal genetic condition, cystic fibrosis, pointing to possible new targets for treatment, according to a new study in Nature.

Deleting this gene in mice confirmed its role in regulating inflammation and disease. After the animals' airways were infected with the bacterium that is a major cause of lung infection in cystic fibrosis, the mice experienced less inflammation and disease, said senior investigator Christopher Karp M.D., director of Molecular Immunology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Posted online by the journal Feb. 25 in advance of publication, it the first published study to use a genome-wide approach to look for genes that modify the severity of cystic fibrosis lung disease.

After analyzing the genetic makeup of nearly 3,000 people from two groups of cystic fibrosis patients – one from Johns Hopkins University and the other from the University of North Carolina and Case Western Reserve University – the researchers found that small genetic differences in a gene called IFRD1 correlate with lung disease severity.

To View Entire Article, Please Click on the Title Above.