Local team in asthma breakthrough
Published: October 24, 2004
A Claremont researcher is leading a team that has made a world medical breakthrough that brings new hope for people with asthma.
Professor Lyle Palmer is part of an international team that has discovered a gene that helps protect against asthma.
They say that understanding how the gene works will help predict and treat the condition.
Professor Palmer, director of genetic epidemiology at the Nedlands-based WA Institute for Medical Research, said the discovery was a significant step forward in understanding the genetic causes of asthma.
“We have found variants of a gene that reduce the risk of asthma by 50%,” he said.
“Our study is exciting and unique.”
Professor Palmer, who is also the foundation chairman in genetic epidemiology at the University of WA, said promising new treatment making use of the research could soon be available.
The team’s findings have been published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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