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An international team of researchers at Harvard Medical School has identified a gene responsible for bone mineral density and fracture risk. The study was published in the journal Nature.
"Our study explores the hereditary aspect of osteoporosis by investigating the role our genes play in determining bone mineral density and who is at risk of fracture due to low bone density," explained senior author Douglas Kiel, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, US.
Researchers found that a gene involved at the earliest stages of human development, the engrailed homeobox-1 gene, plays a central role in regulating bone density.
"Understanding the genomics underlying skeletal fragility (osteoporosis) may lead to preventative interventions that ultimately reduce fractures as we age," Kiel noted.
"Our findings enhance understanding of the genetics underlying the development of osteoporosis," Kiel said.
"Ideally, genomic research will one day lead to more personalized interventions (precision medicine) that, in this case, will reduce bone loss and prevent fractures in older adults," he pointed out.
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