Irish gene research clue to cure for manic depression
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From: Tim on 20 Mar 2007 05:16 16/03/2007 - Irish gene research clue to cure for manic depression Daily Mail via NewsEdge Corporation : TWO Irish researchers have identified a genetic link that could lead to improved treatment for manic depression. The medics stumbled across a connection between bipolar disorder and a gene mutation that they hope will lead to greatly improved diagnosis of the condition. Consultant clinical geneticist at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children Dr Willie Reardon and Dr Richard Blennerhassett, clinical director at St Ita's Hospital Portrane, Co. Dublin, worked together on the study. Dr Reardon said researchers now have a much clearer genetic target for understanding bipolar disorder. 'This is the holy grail of psychogenetic disease,' he said. 'We have stumbled upon a massively important connection.' He began to research the link after a female patient who had a genetic abnormality in her family in addition to bipolar disorder asked if there was a connection between the two. 'We discovered that there had been 20 more patients who had reported the link,' said Dr Reardon. 'This seems to be one of those fortuitous findings which affords you a targeted way of investigating the genes which might cause bipolar or be important in causing it in families.' He said researchers could now study whether the chromosome 11 abnormality specifically predisposes-people to the developmentof bipolar disorder. The researchers are now working with colleagues in London and Germany comparing the abnormality in the hope of developing a test for bipolar disorder. 'In the longer term, treatment is a possibility,' said Dr Reardon. 'I don't want people to overplay or inflate the possible importance of this, but the inevitable follow-on is you will hope it will have an impact on treatment.' Dr Reardon presented his findings at the Clinical Genetic Society in London yesterday where they received a lot of interest. The study is 'a triumph for the importance of listening to the patient', he added. 'You don't dismiss something a patient suggests. You must always discuss it as a possibility.' http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:TI5viJ6eo_AJ:www.clingensoc.org/conf2007/CGS2007_progreg.pdf+reardon+blennerhassett&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=uk&client=firefox-a **11q24 abnormalities are a recurrent observation in bipolar affective disorder � Dr William Reardon, A Dunlop, S Holden, RC Trembath, R Blennerhassett** __________________ -- http://www.last.fm/listen/user/dyslimbic/loved |