Gene Hunters Fine-Tune Marker for Common Ob...(that if otherinvestigators look only for...),Health

Date:3/12/2008

that if other investigators look only for the first SNP in subjects with African ancestry, they would find no association with obesity. The second SNP may have deep roots in evolutionary history. Scientists have multiple lines of evidence indicating that humans originated in Africa, and this SNP may be related to an original mutation in the distant past that initiated a human predisposition to obesity.

The fact that mutations in the FTO gene carry a comparable risk of obesity in both children and adults, said Grant, suggests that the gene may be primarily associated with obesity that begins in childhood. Future medical treatments may benefit patients by targeting the FTO gene pathway, added Grant, although such treatments await a better understanding of the underlying biology of obesity.

The study team will continue to seek out other possible gene variants within the FTO gene, plus other genes that may be involved in obesity. The Center for Applied Genomics at Children's Hospital is currently the largest pediatric genotyping program in the world.

Dr. Grant's and Dr. Hakonarson's co-authors were Robert I. Berkowitz, M.D., Mingyao Li, Ph.D., Jonathan P. Bradfield, Cecilia E. Kim, Kiran Annaiah, Erin Santa, Joseph T. Glessner, Tracy Casalunovo, Edward C. Frackelton, F. George Otieno, Julie L. Shaner, Ryan M. Smith, Marcin Imielinski, M.D., Ph.D., Andrew W. Eckhert, and Rosetta M. Chiavacci.

About The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country, ranking third in National Institutes of Health funding. In addi
'/>"/>

SOURCE The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Copyright©2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

0 GOOD

Page: 1 2 3
Related medicine technology :

1. Vermillions Biomarkers Prove Beneficial in Identifying Women With Ovarian Cancer and Detecting Early-Stage Disease
2. QIAGEN and Center for Molecular Medicine Create Research Collaboration for Molecular Diagnostic Markers for Breast Cancer, Other Womens Health Issues
3. Orion Genomics Announces the Discovery of Novel Breast Cancer Biomarkers
4. BiPar Begins Phase 2 Study of Lead PARP Inhibitor in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Based on Overexpression Biomarker Data
5. JDRF and Lilly Partner to Fund Research to Identify Beta Cell Biomarkers
6. CV Therapeutics Anti-Ischemic Agent Ranexa(R) Significantly Reduces HbA1c and Other Markers of Diabetes in MERLIN TIMI-36
7. BiPar Genomic Biomarker Data Demonstrate Overexpression of PARP-1 Gene in Multiple Cancer Types
8. HistoRx and Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Initiate Brain Tumor Biomarker Research Partnership
9. New Data Published in The Lancet Show GSKs ROTARIX(R) Offers Protection Against the Most Common Circulating Rotavirus Types
10. Obesity Common in Children with Heart Disease
11. Evidence of Benefit Lacking for Many Common Ways of Treating Osteoarthritis of the Knee