In the United States, the leading cause of death is heart disease. In fact, in any given year, about one in four deaths in the United States comes as a result of heart disease. This number averages close to seven hundred thousand. As you might imagine, finding solutions and treatments for cardiovascular diseases has long been a priority for medical researchers across the world. Recently, a study published in the medical journal Science Translational Medicine has made a potentially huge discovery that could help make a meaningful impact in treating and preventing heart disease. They found twenty-seven genetic markers It even has the potential to help increase the speed that drugs for cardiovascular diseases can be developed and produced. In this article we’ll cover their findings, and the implications of them, to help you understand the importance of this breakthrough.
What are Genetic Markers and What Is Their Importance
To find these pivotal genetic markers the scientists in the study had to sift through and examine five thousand different markers, but what exactly is a genetic marker? Genetic markers are DNA sequences that can be mapped onto a specific location on a chromosome. Genetic markers allow scientists to link diseases with the gene responsible for it, which allows for greater understanding of the relationship between disease and individuals. In this case, machine learning was used to identify these twenty-seven genetic markers that when combined can predict the risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure over a four period. This information is vital in the battle to prevent deaths from cardiovascular diseases, as these predictions can allow doctors to begin a treatment plan for at-risk patients before the disease becomes serious or too far gone. Having advance notice can be the difference between saving lives and losing them. In addition to that, the method used by the scientists in the study has provided evidence that this method of identifying proteins works, which can lead to even more success identifying predictive genetic markers in the future.
The Effect on Pharmaceutical Drug Production
As mentioned above, not only does this breakthrough help make treating patients more effective, but also could enable the production of life saving medicine to be streamlined. This is because of its potential implications as a surrogate biomarker. When medical drugs are being developed and tested, they have to undergo a lengthy and intensive process to vet them and verify their safety and efficacy. This process can often take years. One way that this can be shortened is if a surrogate biomarker with predictive capabilities exists, as this allows testing to be done quicker and more accurately. These surrogates are worth their weight in gold, and the twenty-seven genetic markers that were identified have the potential to impact the ability to have surrogate biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases. In all, this breakthrough has the potential to impact lives for the better in a massive way. However, it is important to note that, like any other breakthrough there is still a long way to go until the impact of it is felt in its fullest form. Even so, this study should be celebrated as an important moment in the battle against cardiovascular disease.
