New research by a company in Iceland has uncovered a previously unknown genetic variation which may be responsible for the disparity between the rate of heart attacks in the African-American community and other demographic groups in the US. A team at deCODE led by Dr. Ana Helgadottir found that African-Americans with the variant gene are 250 percent more likely to have heart attacks. The company proposes a stage III clinical trial for an experimental therapy it has developed, which it says can help protect those at risk.
- see this article from the New York Times
- see this press release from deCODE