London, Mar 4 : Scientists from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre have identified a gene that appears to play a critical role in severity of lung disease in people with cystic fibrosis.
After studying nearly 3,000 cystic fibrosis patients, the team found small genetic differences in a gene called IFRD1 linked to lung disease severity.
"This is a good example of researchers with different expertise coming together and using the knowledge gained from mapping the human genome to make discoveries that improve our understanding of cystic fibrosis," Nature magazine quoted Carl Langefeld, Ph. D., a study co-author and Wake Forest University School of Medicine researcher as saying.