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Gulf Today Report

A study in the US identified DNA signatures associated with cardiovascular disease risk.

The discovery could result in opportunities for clinical intervention years before symptoms appear.

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The results of the study, published in the journal JAMA Cardiology, are based on analysis of data from five large heart studies from diverse populations.

“In this study, we used the best clinical data on heart disease from diverse populations to find out the specific epigenetic changes involved in complex biology and leading to disease,” says study author Anna Navas Assen, professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

She added, “We hope the research will enable us to identify and prevent diseases, before the worst harm takes place, although the development of appropriate DNA methylation tests are still a long way off.”

Researchers analysed the “Strong Heart Study”, the largest study of cardiovascular disease on American Indians, in partnership with communities in the Great Plains and the Southwest since 1988.

They analysed blood samples to identify specific spots on the DNA where methylation activity is linked to incidents of coronary heart disease, including heart attacks and coronary deaths.

Using high-dimensional statistical methods, we could study hundreds of thousands of specific spots in DNA simultaneously,” said Ars Domingo Reluso, the data scientist and study co-author who guided the statistical analyses of the study.