Israeli and American researchers have identified a region in the DNA that contains a common genetic factor that increases the risk of kidney disease

The research was carried out by teams from the Technion, Rambam Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Hadassah Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health in the USA

Research teams from the Technion, Rambam Medical Center, Tel Aviv University, Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, and the National Institutes of Health in the US have identified a region of DNA that contains a common genetic factor that increases the risk of kidney disease. The discovery was published in the latest issue of the prestigious scientific journal Human Molecular Genetics.

There is an estimate that 40 million people in the US suffer from chronic kidney disease in varying degrees of severity. Of these, about half a million are in the advanced stage of the disease known as end-stage renal failure (in Israel about 5,000 patients). At this stage, life-saving medical treatments through dialysis or a kidney transplant are necessary. These treatments help prolong the lives of the patients, but unfortunately, their quality of life may be affected and the mortality rate among them is expected to be relatively high.

Until recently, it was estimated that genetic factors are little involved in the appearance of various types of kidney diseases. However, in recent years, studies in the US have shown that the population of African descent has a four times higher risk of end-stage renal disease compared to the population of European descent. At the same time, it was found that the population of Hispanic origin also has a high risk level (twice) for end-stage renal disease compared to the population of European origin. It also became clear that the socio-economic status of the patients does not explain the significant differences in the incidence of the disease between the different populations. These facts indicated the existence of some genetic factor involved in the onset of the disease. Indeed, about a year ago, two groups of researchers from the USA identified a gene on chromosome 22 (gene name: MYH9), certain changes in which explain the high incidence of end-stage renal disease in the population of African descent.

A team of researchers led by Professor Karl Skortsky and Dr. Doron Bahar, along with doctoral student Shai Tzur and other fellow researchers from the Technion, from the Rambam Medical Center, from Tel Aviv University, from the Hadassah Ein-Kerem Medical Center in Jerusalem, as well as Dr. Walter Wasser and researchers from the National Institute For health in the US (NIH), the article reports on the identification of new genetic factors in the MYH9 gene that better explain the high incidence of end-stage renal disease among populations of African descent. The study identified new genetic factors originating in the Central African region, which significantly increase the risk of terminal illness even among the mixed population of American Hispanics (mixed European, African, and Native American). The genetic factors identified by the researchers are very common and are found in 45% of people from Central Africa. "These factors increase the risk of the disease significantly up to 3-5 times for those who carry them," say the researchers.

In contrast to the high prevalence of the disease among African-Americans, the research team of the Technion and Rambam previously discovered that Ethiopian Jews do not suffer from a higher level of end-stage renal disease. Therefore, future comparative genetic research may help in identifying the specific mutation responsible for kidney damage and understanding the mechanism that causes the disease.

According to the researchers, the research findings may promote the use of genetic screening tests for people at risk of end-stage renal disease, that is - for the purpose of preliminary preventive treatment. Also, the research findings will promote future studies, which may lead to the development of new medical treatments designed for the treatment and prevention of end-stage renal disease.