Typically, it is assumed that each gene affects only one specific trait. The new study shows that a single gene can influence hundreds of compounds and molecules in the body.
University of Tartu researcher Kaur Alasoo compared metabolism to the temperature in a house. If the fan doesn't work, the entire indoor climate changes at once.
The pharmaceutical industry often tries to influence errors in metabolism. The new study helps identify the actual causes of diseases.
Researchers used data from the Estonian Biobank and the UK Biobank. In total, data from nearly 620,000 people were analyzed.
The research results are very useful for drug development. It helps screen drug candidates already at an early stage.
Researchers found that some amino acids rise in diabetes. The relationship between lactic acid and blood vessels was also studied.
Lactic acid levels indicate whether platelets are active. This helps laboratories simplify testing.
Nuclear magnetic resonance was used for the study. It is cheaper and detects about 200 key metabolic indicators.
Rare genes can be very powerful, even though there are few of them. They can influence the structure of proteins and the functioning of the organism.
The research results help make better decisions in medicine. The information is also open to other scientists.
In the future, machine learning and artificial intelligence are planned to be used to analyze even more data.
The study was published in the journal Nature and is a major advancement in medicine.