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Researchers identify new genetic markers in patients with lupus
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Among patients with lupus, researchers have identified new genetic markers that predispose patients to the disease, according to a recently published study.
“This study is the largest multi-ethnic lupus genetics study to date and allowed us to identify many new genetic markers, some of which are specific to individual ethnic groups and others that are shared across ethnicities,” Carl Langefeld, PhD, lead author of the study and professor of biostatistical sciences at Wake Forest School of Medicine, said in a press release. “With this information, we can begin to better understand the differences in the rates and severity of disease across ethnic groups.”
Researchers assessed 27,574 participants. They identified 58 distinct non-human leukocyte antigen regions in the Europeans, nine in the Africans and 16 in the Hispanic Americans. All of these included 24 new lupus regions.
“In addition, we observed that many of the genetic markers associated with lupus are shared across numerous autoimmune diseases, and those that are not shared may allow us to understand why a person develops lupus instead of another autoimmune disease,” Langefeld said. “These results will help us identify the biological pathways that pharmaceutical companies may target, and ultimately, develop personalized medicine for the treatment of lupus.”
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