Science researchers at Duke University recently conducted a study that found that patients with a high genetic risk of asthma were 36% more likely to develop severe life-long asthma than those who are not genetically at risk. The researchers said, however, that the research is still in its early stages and not yet ready as a reliable clinical test.
According to BBC News, the study identified 15 locations in the human genome that can be used as risk identifiers. Using this research along with information from a major health study from New Zealand, which examines 1,000 people since birth, the research scientists were able to compute a genetic risk score for 880 people.
After keeping track of asthma symptoms in the participants from early childhood through their late 30s, researchers found that those who had been identified as being genetically at risk were more like to have serious asthma through adulthood and that often, their lung function was impaired.
"We know that some children with asthma no longer experience symptoms when they reach adulthood, however... the underlying tendency still remains and so symptoms can still return in later life,” said from Leanne Reynolds from the charity Asthma UK. "This could mean that in the future we're able to identify those people whose asthma will put them at greatest risk so we can ensure they get the support they need."
Duke University
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Lab suppliers interested in increasing scientific product sales leads and marketing university lab equipment at Duke University may also be interested to know that Duke is a very well-funded market. Duke University received $355.6 million from the NIH in 2012. Some of the life science departments receiving funding included pharmacology. cell biology, biology, internal medicine, biomedical engineering, biochemistry and biostatistics. For a full list of life science departments receiving funding organized by department, number of awards received and total funding awarded, please visit the NIH website.
In addition to receiving NIH funding, Duke University was awarded $46 million in research funding by the NSF in 2012. The funding was distributed among a number of projects in life science fields that included neural systems, cellular dynamics and function, macrosystem biology, physiology and structural systems, bio informatics, systematics and biodiversity science, developmental systems, evolutionary processes, population and community ecology, genetic mechanisms, and ecosystem science.
Given Duke University’s impressive funding statistics, lab suppliers may want to market their university lab equipment and generate scientific product sales leads at Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. North Carolina life science marketing events. If you are a lab supplier interested in networking with lab managers, purchasing agents and researchers at Duke University, Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. invites you to attend our annual Duke BioResearch Product Faire™ Event.
Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. is a full-service science research marketing and events-planning company that has been organizing life science marketing events at top research universities across the country for 20 years. If you are interested in increasing scientific product sales leads and marketing your life science solutions at life science marketing events closer to home, we encourage you to look into our 2013 calendar of events. For more detailed funding statistics on Duke University, or to learn more about the Duke BioResearch Product Faire™ Event, click on the button below.