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CANADIAN GENETIC DISEASES NETWORK |
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CANADIAN SCIENTIST DISCOVERES LOCATION OF NEW GENE ASSOCIATED WITH JUVENILE DIABETES
Calgary - April 1, 1996: A research team led by Dr. Leigh Field of the University of Calgary has discovered the location of a new gene which predisposes children to insulin-dependent diabetes. Dr. Field is a member of the Canadian Genetic Diseases Network and is a Heritage Medical Researcher.
The findings of the team will be published today in the scientific journal Genomics.
Juvenile diabetes is a common form of diabetes which develops in childhood and affects 1 in 300 children of European ancestry by the age of 20. Sufferers are dependent for survival on daily injections of insulin which replace the insulin normally produced by the pancreas. The syndrome of juvenile diabetes results from an abnormal autoimmune reaction in the body which destroys the pancreas cells which produce insulin.
This common form of diabetes is caused by a combination of several genes. To date, a total of eight gene locii have been identified. The latest gene location discovered by the Calgary team is on chromosome 14. Identification of genes that predispose a child to juvenile diabetes, the ultimate goal of researchers, will eventually enable doctors to perform a simple DNA test to predict susceptibility and then to prescribe treatment to prevent diabetes from developing.
Scientific Director of the Canadian Genetic Diseases Network, Dr. Michael Hayden, commented "Dr. Field's discoveries in diabetes research are significant. The Network's facilities and collaborations across Canada will continue to play a crucial part in the rapid progress of her ongoing research."
The Canadian Genetic Diseases Network is a consortium of 38 of Canada's leading geneticists who are linked with 12 universities, 9 hospitals, and 11 core technology facilities across the country. The Network performs leading-edge research on common genetically transmitted diseases and works with industry partners on methods of detection and treatment of the diseases. Core funding for Network programs is provided by the federal Networks of Centres of Excellence Program through the Medical Research Council of Canada.
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CANADIAN SCIENTIST DISCOVERS GENES LEADING TO DIABETES IN CHILDREN
Calgary - October 1, 1994: A research team led by Dr. Leigh Field of the University of Calgary has discovered two genes that play an important part in the onset of juvenile diabetes. Dr. Field is a professor of Medical Genetics and a member of the Canadian Genetic Diseases Network.
The findings of the research team will be published October 1, 1994 in the scientific journal Nature Genetics.
This common form of diabetes which develops in childhood is caused by combinations of several genes. Two of these genes have been known for over a decade, but additional genes have eluded investigators until now.
Said Dr. Field "This discovery is major step towards pinpointing the genetic combinations responsible for juvenile diabetes". She added "I believe we are very close indeed to knowing how many genes contribute to the disease and to identifying children with a high risk of becoming diabetic".
Juvenile onset diabetes affects 1 in every 300 children. Sufferers need daily insulin injections to survive and frequently succumb to devastating complications such as blindness and kidney failure.
The ultimate goal in Dr. Field's continuing study of juvenile diabetes is to develop treatments to prevent the onset of the disease. Commented Dr. Field "Approximately 100,000 people are suffering from juvenile-onset diabetes today in Canada. The benefits of new diagnostics and therapies to the lives of our children, in particular, will be enormous."
Scientific Director of the Canadian Genetic Diseases Network, Dr. Michael Hayden, commented "Identification of new genes predisposed to diabetes is an important discovery. The Network's facilities and collaborations across Canada will be crucial to the rapid progress of Dr. Field's on-going research."
The major portion of Dr. Field's research support has been provided through the Canadian Genetic Diseases Network, a consortium of 37 of Canada's leading geneticists who are linked with nine universities across Canada and 10 core facilities to form an "institute without walls". The network carries a mandate under the federal government's Networks of Centres of Excellence Program to perform leading-edge research and to work with industry partners on detection and treatment of genetically-transmitted disease.