New Study Narrows the Search for IBD Genes

[Scipio]

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318212.php

Quote from the article:

"We have taken the biggest ever data set for IBD and applied careful statistics to narrow down to the individual genetic variants involved. Now we have a clearer picture of which genes do and do not play a role in the disease. We are zooming in on the genetic culprits of IBD."

Co-lead author Dr. Jeffrey Barrett, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

 

[wildbill_52280]

It's nice they found a new way to refine association studies but I'm not entirely pleased with their use of the term causal. Use of that word may be unjustified because I don't believe this information is enough to come close to proving causation, but maybe closer is more accurate term, but I can't read the entire study because only the abstract is available.

The newly identified genes might just increase your risk, and i suppose that could be "causal" but the genes alone may not be a sufficient cause or may not be enough to cause IBD all by themselves. So other additional factors may still be neccessary. Nod2 gene studies also suggest this, when plenty of people with the suspected crohn's gene variant, never seem to develop crohn's. I still believe genetic influences on IBD are minimal and this one so far wasn't enough to change my mind. Still feeling like disruption in the microbiome are the key to these diseases as more scientists now suspect.

 

[Scipio]

I think a better term than "causal" would be "more strongly associated."

 

[Mommabear]

I agree, it doesn't really get us much closer. This study was written up in layman's terms plastered about with fetching headlines, but it changes very little. I read the article and the list is still hugely long! There is genetic susceptibility certainly, but there is clearly a trigger. If you don't come into contact with that trigger, you don't get sick.

 

[Vivek]

Are we getting close to develop a cure for ibd???