New genetic links found for lung cancer
Further genetic links for lung cancer have been identified in a series of large genome-wide association studies.
Three studies published this week all identify the same region of chromosome
15 as being strongly associated with an increased risk of lung cancer
(Nature 2008;452:633; ibid,
p633; Nature Genetics early
online publication,
2 April 2008).
The studies disagree, however, on whether
the increased risk associated with variation in this area is linked to
differences in behaviour or changes at a cellular level.
The authors of an editorial commenting on all three papers (Nature 2008;452:537)
suggest that this new genetic insight might allow researchers to add
weapons to the anti-smoking arsenal. They suggest that evaluation of
smoking cessation treatments could be informed by knowledge of a person’s
genetic predisposition to start smoking or to nicotine addiction.
Type
2 diabetes A meta-analysis and replication study published
online in
Nature Genetics (30 March 2008) was able to increase
the statistical power
of three previous searches for genetic associations to type 2 diabetes. This
allowed researchers to identify six additional regions associated with type
2 diabetes.
They hope that information about genetic variation
at these sites will
provide clues to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. |
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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