Genetic variations found in people with allergies

An international study that compared the genetic make-up of nearly 6000 people with allergies and 10,000 people without allergies has found 10 genetic variants that play a potential role in people developing allergies.

A team of Australian scientists from seven national institutes, led by the Queensland Institute of Medical Research’s Dr Manuel Ferreira, were involved in the work.

“Between 30-50% of people have an allergy of some kind. Early in life, they’ll develop an allergic reaction to pollen, or dust, for example,” Dr Ferreira said.

“In this study, we searched for genetic differences between people to explain why some develop allergies, while others don’t.”

The work turned up 10 genetic variants that increase a person’s risk of having allergies. The more variants a person had, the higher their risk of developing an allergic condition, like asthma.

“This is important because we know that if you become allergic as a child, then you will be at an increased risk of developing asthma, hay fever or eczema later in life.

“As a result of this research, we are now certain that these 10 DNA regions contain genes involved in allergies,” Dr Ferreira said.

The researchers plan to continue the work to work out what specific genes are involved, how they work and whether they are likely targets for new therapies to treat or prevent allergic diseases.

The research was published in Nature Genetics.

QIMR is calling for volunteers to help it continue Australia’s largest study of asthma genetics: the Australian Asthma Genetics Consortium.