U.S. scientists say they have compiled a database to assist research into rare illnesses of unknown cause that afflict people worldwide.
Finding a common link to under-studied or "orphaned" diseases such as Bardet-Biedl, Alstrom and Meckel-Gruber syndromes can significantly advance the search for causes and treatment.
The same Johns Hopkins research team that first identified flaws in the work of tiny, hair-like structures on the surface of cells called cilia as such a common link has compiled — and made available on the Web — a database of all genes known to contribute to cilia operations in the body.
"It was hard labor, but worth it to help accelerate research and drive the development of potential drug targets and cures for these diseases," said the project's leader, Nicholas Katsanis, an associate professor of molecular biology, genetics and ophthalmology.
"But what's equally exciting is that the database should also advance the understanding of much more common diseases, because abnormal cilia are looking as if they have a role in these as well," he added.
The new Web-based resource is described online in the journal Nature Genetics.
