A collaboration between UCSF and a Sunnyvale-based genomics company should help scientists speed the uncovering of the genetic roots of cardiovascular disease -- including arteriosclerosis, the leading cause of death in the US.

The research, they hope, will lead to new ways to diagnose and treat arteriosclerosis, and other diseases such as stroke, diabetes and hypertension.

Cardiovascular Disease Researchers,
John Kane & Mary Malloy

The agreement between Hyseq, Inc. and UCSF, announced yesterday, establishes the Cardiovascular Research Institute’s (CVRI) Genomic Research in Arteriosclerosis at UCSF and allows scientists to collect DNA samples, under proper patient consent procedures, from 20,000 genetically diverse individuals. Many of these samples will include results from angiogram, ultrasound and biochemical tests, allowing a direct comparison of genetic information with clinical histories.

Funds from Hyseq will provide UCSF laboratory staff and technology to fully sequence 100 target genes in 5,000 individuals in the first year alone, says John Kane, professor of medicine and biochemistry and biophysics and the new project’s director at UCSF.

The project, he said, is the largest to thoroughly understand the roles of genes and gene mutations that may lead to cardiovascular diseases.

"We believe that this project enables us to answer many of the questions that the cardiovascular community has long been seeking,” said Kane. “Such an unprecedented new approach permits the efficient analysis of several hundred candidate genes in thousands of patients."

Arteriosclerotic coronary disease accounts for more than 40 percent of disease deaths in the US. Known risk factors, such as diet and smoking, account for about half of these deaths, but genetics are believed to play a role in the other half. Studies also suggest that hypertension and diabetes may share certain underlying biochemical abnormalities with arteriosclerosis.

The project will provide a valuable resource for other UCSF genetics scientists by essentially establishing a gene bank of 20,000 DNA samples for probing. Hyseq will house a duplicate bank, allowing large-scale population genetic-profiling to link optimal drug therapy to an individual's genetic make-up. The company has patented technology to allow cost-effective identification of a number of the relevant genes from the DNA database. The ability to effectively treat complex diseases should increase significantly once genes involved are identified, and their precise roles are defined.

1st appeared 2/11/98

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