DANDELION Computational Tool Identifies Previously Unknown Asthma-Related Genes and Pathway
Researchers developed a computational tool that could help to finding genes most directly related to disease, and which in a reported study identified 21 genes related to asthma, most of which hadn’t been discovered by other methods. The post DANDELION Computational Tool Identifies Previously Unknown Asthma-Related Genes and Pathway appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology…
A new computational tool called DANDELION has been developed by researchers at the University of Chicago and Columbia University to identify genes directly responsible for diseases, particularly asthma. The tool prioritizes genes embedded within a complex gene regulatory network, rather than those in the periphery that are often found using traditional methods like genome-wide association studies (GWAS).
By analyzing data from the human transcriptome and the UK Biobank, DANDELION identified 21 genes related to asthma, many of which had not been discovered before using existing techniques. The researchers validated these genes using CRISPR gene-editing screens and mouse models, demonstrating that two of them are involved in fatty acid metabolism and protein palmitoylation pathways.
The study, titled "Trans-regulatory gene mapping prioritizes disease drivers in asthma," demonstrates DANDELION's potential as a powerful framework for identifying novel, therapeutically actionable genes and pathways underlying disease pathogenesis. The tool's ability to uncover genes deeply involved in disease pathways could significantly advance the search for effective treatments for complex diseases like asthma.
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