Findings by University of Queensland (UQ) researchers have shed light on the cause of the debilitating arthritic condition ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
The research, led by Professor Matt Brown, has identified susceptibility genes for AS, which is a type of inflammatory arthritis that targets the joints of the spine.
“The identification of these AS genes extends our understanding of this disorder and provides an important foundation for future research into this common and debilitating condition,” Professor Brown said.
“Through similar work done in the past, we have identified two potential therapeutic targets and one of them is about to have trials in response to in Europe.”
Other main participants of the research included Professor John Reveille's team from the University of Texas (Houston) and Professor Paul Wordsworth's team at the University of Oxford.
“At the moment we probably have only identified only half of the genetic risk of the disease,” he said.
“We really want to work out the basic mechanisms by which the abnormalities in the genes lead to the disease. "
Professor Brown said the work had also led them to identify similarities between the genes that cause AS and those involved in inflammatory bowel diseases and psoriasis. In combination these conditions affect about three percent of Australians.
Some of the team's research was published in Nature Genetics.
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