Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Researchers find link of decreased bone density in two chromosomes

   

British researchers identified two common mutations that increase the risk of osteoporosis and related bone fractures.

Osteoporosis is a condition where bone density things as bone cells are lost then replaced as people age. It occurs more in women than men.





In a Lancet study, the researchers scanned the genes of 2,084 female twins and found that there was a link which caused decreased bone density in chromosomes 8 and 11. Chromosome 11 was responsible for a 30% increase in the risk of the condition while chromosome 8 was responsible for 20%. Researchers are going to use this information with the two genes involved as the targets to come up with drugs and other treatments,

This article was written in 2008 and I am not sure of what progress in terms of treatment has been made on this disease. However, it is good to know that the chromosomes and genes responsible for certain diseases are getting discovered and that more and more research is being done. Once you find the genes or chromosomes responsible, it allows scientist and researchers to formulate a drug that can treat the disease.

1 comment:

  1. Its amazing that they were able to narrow down risk for the disease to specific chromosomes. If they can attribute other diseases to specific chromosomes maybe they can ultimately fix the disease by finding the specific sequence that is causing the error since they have a better idea where to look. Things like gene therapy, new drugs, and technology may be able to soon cure diseases especially after a specific chromosome is identified.

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