Working out how our genes affect our risk of coronary heart disease

Genomics of Coronary Artery Disease

Professor Panos Deloukas and his team at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry are carrying out very large genetic studies called genome-wide association studies (GWAS). They are working out how variations in our genes contribute to coronary heart disease and heart attack risk, and to high levels of fat in the blood. They recently found 16 new regions of our DNA that are linked with coronary heart disease and 67 linked with the level of fat in the blood. The team are now working to identify which genes are located in these regions, and have identified a list of gene locations that could explain around 11 per cent of coronary heart disease heritability. Studies that find more rare and common versions of genes could reveal more about the contribution our DNA to our risk of heart disease. The BHF have now awarded a grant to the Barts team to try and pinpoint the individual genes that cause disease in the regions they have identified in their GWAS studies. They will also work out the biological processes behind disease development, and investigate if these genes and molecules, known as biomarkers, which flag the presence of disease could be used to predict recurring heart attacks. They will find out if certain environmental factors such as lifestyle and diet predict a bad prognosis when combined with certain genetic factors. They will work to develop a risk score that predicts the chances of recurring heart attacks in patients, using biomarkers that capture these environmental factors. Understanding more about how our genes influence heart disease and identifying new biomarkers, could reveal treatments. Finding a way to predict which patients are at a higher risk of having another heart attack will help doctors identify which patients need more intensive treatment.