More genetic markers of coeliac disease found

Monday, 12 April 2010 09:31

Coeliac disease is known to run in families and previous research has identified certain genes that influence its development. Further work conducted by a large, international team of researchers has recently identified another four types of disturbance in the genes controlling the immune system which increase a person’s risk of developing coeliac disease.

The latest work, which has been published in the high impact-factor journal, Nature Genetics, involved 4,533 people with coeliac disease and 10,750 control subjects without the disease. Eventually it is hoped to identify causative markers which could be used to devise novel diagnostic tests, and ultimately the development of new immune-based therapies for coeliac disease.

The study also provides evidence of a shared risk between the genes associated with coeliac disease and many other chronic immune-mediated diseases including type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

Reference: Dubois et al. 2010, Nature Genetics Vol 42 pp. 295 – 302. DOI:10.1038/ng.543.