Research doubles genetic links to coronary heart disease

Science | Health 07 Mar 11 Two large international studies have discovered 17 new genetic variants linked with increased heart disease risk, more than doubling the known genetic links to coronary heart disease. Some of the genetic variants were associated with biological processes involved in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). The researchers also identified several regions of our DNA that were not previously known to be involved in the disease. The research involved scanning the entire genomes of tens of thousands of people to locate variations in DNA that are more likely to be found in people with CHD. The DNA variations identified should new avenues for research into the causes of the disease and could lead to new treatments for coronary heart disease and strokes in the future. The two studies - by the Coronary Artery Disease (C4D) Genetics Consortium and the CARDIoGRAM consortium - are published . The C4D Consortium was led jointly by scientists at the British Heart Foundation Centres of Research Excellence at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and Imperial College, London.