An international research team has discovered a gene responsible for bone mineral density. Thanks to this discovery, doctors in the future will be able to select individual treatment for patients with osteoporosis. The disease reduces the strength of bones, making them more fragile, which increases the risk of fractures.
The study examined the hereditary aspects of osteoporosis, as well as the role of genes responsible for bone mineral density. People with low bone density are at risk for fracture, ”said senior author Douglas Kiel, a professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Previous studies have identified risk factors for osteoporosis, such as age, gender, ethnicity and heredity.
Understanding the genomics underlying skeletal fragility (osteoporosis) will help identify preventive measures to reduce the risk of bone fractures as a person ages.
Fully sequencing the genome of about 3 thousand people, as well as examining the genetic material of more than half a million people, the researchers found that the gene that is included at the earliest stages of development of the human body plays a crucial role in regulating bone density.
For the first time, scientists have linked the EN1 protein with bone tissue biology in adults, the study says.
Ideally, genomic research will one day lead to the emergence of more personalized medicine, which in this case will reduce bone loss and prevent fractures in the elderly, the scientist said.
The study was published in the journal Nature.
The article is based on materials .
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