Medical: A personal approach to treating asthma

and Immunology reports that 40 percent of children who have parents with asthma will also develop the disease. In fact, Fernando Martinez, M.D., Pediatric Pulmonologist/Researcher at the Arizona Respiratory Center in Tucson, says if both parents have asthma, their children are 20 times more likely to develop the disease than kids whose parents don’t have the condition.

Finding the genetic link is tricky. Although scientists have finally mapped the human genome, Martinez says there are probably hundreds of genes that work individually or in combination to cause asthma. So finding each of those genetic variants is an enormous task.

The asthma researchers partnered with scientists at the BIO5 Institute who were studying the rice genome. The rice scientists previously developed high-tech methods to understand the genetics behind rice growth in different kinds of environments.

Martinez and his colleagues are looking at roughly 6,000 genetic samples drawn from local volunteers and DNA pools from around the country. These samples are being analyzed to look for variants that may be associated with asthma. Using the rice-based technology, Martinez says they are able to find hundreds of genetic variants over several days. Hopefully, the genetic information will provide clues as to why some people develop asthma and others don’t.

In the future, the genetic information may be used to develop screening tests that determine a person’s probability for developing asthma or other diseases. The information may also be helpful in developing medications that target specific genes, leading to personalized medicine.