San Antonio Researchers Pinpoint Disease in Genes
Published Apr 14, 2008
The AT&T Genomics Computing Center analyzes genetic data at record speeds.
In its 67-year history, the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research already has an impressive catalog of discoveries under its belt in the areas of cancer, AIDS and other complex diseases. Now the foundation has made a new breakthrough by developing a method for rapidly isolating disease-related genes.
In so doing, researchers have found a gene that plays a major role in regulating HDL, the so-called “good” cholesterol. A scarcity of HDL can be a major risk factor in heart disease.
The gene, called VNN1, “wasn’t on anyone’s radar,” says Dr. John Blangero, the senior author of the paper in Nature Genetics announcing the findings. “Now it’s probably a direct target.” If a drug could be found that increases VNN1, Blangero explains, HDL levels might be improved as well.
The research team used the search for HDL-influential genes as a demonstration of the process by which scientists can hunt for genes implicated in diseases in general. Fundamental to this method are the 1,500 parallel processors in SFBR’s AT&T Genomics Computing Center. Using this enormous computational power enables scientists to narrow the field from the 25,000 genes in the human genome to those relevant to the target disease.
“It’s quite an advantage,” says Dr. Blangero. “The main set of analyses that we ran for the Nature Genetics paper took about two weeks. These would have taken years using a conventional approach.” The team is already using the technique to analyze genes associated with other diseases.
Story by Jon Brooks
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