deCODE Breakthrough in Thyroid Cancer May Enable More Targeted Risk Assessment and Earlier Intervention
-- The Two Risk Variants are Being Integrated Into the deCODEme(TM) Personal Genome Analysis Service and the new deCODEme Cancer(TM) Scan
REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Scientists at deCODE
genetics (Nasdaq: DCGN) today present the discovery of two single letter
variations in the sequence of the human genome (SNPs) conferring substantial
increased risk of thyroid cancer. The two SNPs, located on chromosomes 9q22
and 14q13, are the first common variants replicated in multiple populations
ever associated with increased risk of the disease. They were found through
the analysis of the genomes of a total of more than 40,000 patients and
control subjects from Iceland, the United States and Spain. Approximately 4
percent of people of European descent carry two copies of the at-risk versions
of both SNPs, putting them at a 5.7-times greater risk of thyroid cancer than
individuals who carry no copies of either. These variants contribute to an
estimated 57 percent of all cases of the disease, and they associate with
altered levels of key thyroid hormones.
"This is an important discovery with a clear medical utility. Thyroid
cancer is the most common endocrine cancer, and about 1 percent of the general
population will develop it at some point in their lifetime. But if detected
early enough it is in general a treatable disease. Screening for the at-risk
SNPs may therefore provide a new means of identifying those who are at highest
risk, enabling closer monitoring of those individuals with an emphasis on
addressing other risk factors and promoting early intervention if cancer is
detected. We are already including these risk variants in our deCODEme full
genome scan and deCODEme Cancer scan, and are analyzing the possibility of
putting them into a reference laboratory diagnostic test," said Kari
Stefansson, CEO of deCODE and senior author on the study.
The paper, "Common variants on 9q22.33 and 14q13.3 predispose to thyroid
cancer in European populations," is published today in the online edition of
Nature Genetics, at http://www.nature.com/ng.
deCODE would like to thank all those who participated in this study, as
well as the collaborating clinicians and scientists from the National-
University Hospital in Reykjavik, Ohio State University and the University of
Zaragoza. This project was funded in part by the US National Institutes of
Health under contracts CA16058 and CA124570.
About deCODE
deCODE is a bio-pharmaceutical company developing drugs and DNA-based
tests to improve the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of common diseases.
Its lead therapeutic programs, which leverage the company's expertise in
chemistry and structural biology, include DG041, an antiplatelet compound
being developed for the prevention of arterial thrombosis; DG051 and DG031,
compounds targeting the leukotriene pathway for the prevention of heart
attack; and DG071 and a platform for other PDE4 modulators with therapeutic
applications in Alzheimer's disease and other conditions. deCODE is a global
leader in human genetics, and has identified key variations in the genome
(SNPs) conferring increased risk of major public health challenges from
cardiovascular disease to cancer. Based upon these discoveries deCODE has
brought to market a growing range of DNA-based tests for gauging risk and
empowering prevention of common diseases. Through its CLIA-registered
laboratory, deCODE is offers deCODE T2(TM) for type 2 diabetes; deCODE AF(TM)
for atrial fibrillation and stroke; deCODE MI(TM) for heart attack; deCODE
ProstateCancer(TM) for prostate cancer; deCODE Glaucoma(TM) for a major type
of glaucoma; and deCODE BreastCancer(TM), for the common forms of breast
cancer. deCODE is delivering on the promise of the new genetics(SM). Visit us
on the web at http://www.decode.com; on our diagnostics site at
http://www.decodediagnostics.com; for our pioneering personal genome analysis
service and new Cardio and Cancer scans, integrating the genetic variants
included in these tests and those linked to another twenty common diseases, at
http://www.decodeme.com; and on our blog at http://www.decodeyou.com.
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