Discovery of novel gene solves mystery about cause of scar formation

22 Nov 2013 A new gene that causes life-threatening scar formation (fibrosis) has been discovered, opening the way for the development of new drugs to prevent or treat this condition. The study, in a South African-British-French collaboration which led to the discovery of the little-known novel gene called FAM111B, brings hope to millions of families across the world who pass on this debilitating gene to one another. It saw researchers team up from The University of Manchester, UK, the University of Cape Town, South Africa and University of Nantes in France. Professor Nonhlanhla Khumalo, one of the lead investigators from the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, said that the study represents a breakthrough in the fight against fibrosis and scar formation. "The elucidation of the mechanisms by which FAM111B gene mutations cause fibrosis is likely to lead to the development of new drugs to treat fibrosis in the affected families and possibly prevent fibrosis in other diseases such as scleroderma,' she says. Scars are areas of fibrous tissue (fibrosis) that replace normal tissue after injury. A scar results from the biological process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body.