Gene discovered that causes higher risk of strokes
Undated-AP -- It may not lead to an overnight cure, but researchers in Iceland are hopeful that the discovery of a gene linked to strokes can lead to new advances in prevention. People with the gene face a three to five times greater risk for strokes that choke off blood flow to the brain.
Already, drug maker Hoffmann-La Roche is involved in testing medications that can target an enzyme produced by the gene. The class of drugs is already in use in humans, but for different purposes. The best known is Viagra.
Strokes kill 160-thousand Americans each year, and are the third leading cause of death in many developed countries.
The new findings, reported in the journal Nature Genetics. come from a 200 (m) million dollar research project to look for genes that cause 12 common diseases, including stroke.
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