A research team led by Professor Atsushi Shimizu and Associate Professor Takeshi Hatani of the Bioinformatics Division, Iwate Medical University Iwate Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, is a new method for predicting the susceptibility (risk of onset) of diseases based on genomic information. Was developed.Furthermore, focusing on strokes that are common in the Tohoku region, we have established a method for predicting the risk of developing cerebral infarction based on genomic information in collaboration with many cohort studies and biobanks in Japan. It was clarified that the risk can be predicted in all cases and that it is independent of the morbidity of lifestyle-related diseases that are said to increase the risk of developing cerebral infarction.
Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in Japan and the leading cause of long-term care, and the number of patients with cerebral infarction, which accounts for 4% of the deaths, is 1, and 6 die annually.In Japan, where the aging of the population is advancing rapidly, the number of patients is expected to increase further, and it is regarded as important from the viewpoint of personalized medicine and personalized prevention.Knowing one's own susceptibility to cerebral infarction leads to prevention by improving lifestyle, so research has been conducted to identify gene polymorphisms closely related to cerebral infarction and predict risk. I came.However, the gene polymorphisms found so far could not sufficiently predict the risk of developing the disease.
The Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization has been conducting a large-scale cohort survey to investigate the lifestyle and constitution of residents in both Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, and to clarify the relationship with the subsequent outbreak of illness.As a result, we are developing the world's first integrated database that integrates health surveys and analysis information of biological samples including the status of whole genome sequences.Instead of the traditional "which gene polymorphisms are associated with onset" approach, the research team uses an integrated database to focus on risk calculation, "use all gene polymorphisms for risk assessment." By taking this, a method for predicting the risk of developing cerebral infarction based on genomic information was established.
In the future, it may be possible to contribute to the prevention of cerebral infarction by letting each person know their own risks using the developed method and use it to improve their lifestyle.In addition, by applying it to various diseases such as cancer and depression other than cerebral infarction, it is expected to contribute to personalized medicine and personalized prevention according to each individual's constitution.
