Genetics of infection risk

Published by Travis Wilson on

Our immune system is our defense system. It helps protect us from things that can make us sick. Lots of proteins make up this system. Some proteins fight infections. Others prevent bacteria from making us sick. Sometimes, one of the proteins does not work well. This can cause a weak spot in our defense. It can raise our risk for certain types of infections. Or make it harder for us to fight those infections. Genes contain the instructions for making proteins. We are all born with some changes in our genes. Most of these do not affect the proteins they make. But sometimes, they do. They may cause the protein not to work well. Or it may not work at all. Our gene changes are what makes unique. But they may also raise our risk for a disease. Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center want to study one immune protein. They think changes in that protein may raise our risk for lung infections. Pneumonia is a lung infection. There are two types. Bacteria cause one type. Viruses cause another type. The bacterial version is often more serious. If it is not treated, it can lead to death. Researchers want to know more about this protein. The will use BioVU to study the gene that makes the protein. They will look for people with and without changes in the gene. Then, they will see who had a bacterial infection. The want to check for a link between the gene changes and infections. If they find a link, they will do more research. Their results could tell us how the changes raise our risk. They may also help us find out who is at risk for bacterial infections. This could help us catch infections early. The sooner we treat the infection, the less time you are sick.

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