Serious diseases genes revealed:
The landmark Wellcome Trust study analysed DNA from the blood of 17,000 people to find genetic differences. [...] The £9m Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) involved 50 leading research groups analysing the DNA from 2,000 patients for each of the seven conditions and 3,000 healthy volunteers.
What did they learn?
One of the most exciting finds was a previously unknown gene common to type 1 diabetes and Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disorder, suggesting that they share similar biological pathways.The team also unexpectedly found a process known as autophagy — a process of clearing bacteria from within cells — is important in the development of Crohn’s disease.
And in type 1 diabetes, they identified several genetic regions that increase the risk of developing the condition.
The WTCCC project has already played a part in recent reports of an obesity gene, three new genes linked to type 2 diabetes, and a genetic region on chromosome 9 associated with coronary heart disease.
Professor Peter Donnelly, chair of the WTCCC and professor of statistical science at Oxford University, said the research was a “new dawn” and they had learnt more in the past 12 months than they had in 15 years.