New hope for asthma and allergy sufferers

Conducted by researchers at Imperial College London (ICL), the study uncovered 34 genes that predispose people to suffer from allergies and asthma.

By targeting epigenetic changes which do not affect the genetic code itself, researchers were able to pinpoint genes that regulate the antibody known as immunoglobin E (IgE).

“The genes we identified represent new potential drug targets for allergic diseases

Study leader Miriam Moffatt

IgE is involved in triggering allergic responses. However, prior to this study scientists had been unable to identify which genes regulate its activities, the ICL researchers said.

Asthma affects 10% of children in the UK, and allergies may affect one third of the population. Via epigenetic study, new therapeutic targets could be found, the researchers said.

Using a process of methylation, genes can be rendered inactive by attaching methyl molecules to the DNA. By analysing white blood cells from families with asthma, researchers found “strong associations”, between IgE and low methylation at 36 places in 34 genes.

In people with asthma, these genes are overactive, making them produce more IgE which contributes to asthma symptoms, the researchers said.

Study leader Miriam Moffatt, from the National Heart & Lung Institute at ICL, said: “The genes we identified represent new potential drug targets for allergic diseases as well as biomarkers that may predict which patients will respond to existing expensive therapies.”

Moffatt’s research partner William Cookson said that via epigenetics the research team was able to obtain insights that could not be found using “traditional genetics”.

“It isn’t just the genetic code that can influence disease, and DNA sequencing can only take you so far,” Cookson said.

“Our study shows that modifications on top of the DNA that control how genes are read may be even more important.”

A full account of the research has been published in the journal Nature.