A potential new genetic risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been discovered by researchers at the University of Washington.
The scientists say a mutation in which a region of the WDR7 gene is repeated more times than usual may increase the risk of ALS.
“We believe that this expansion acts as a genetic modifier to disease susceptibility, as in the repeat on its own doesn’t cause disease, but it functions in conjunction with other genetic risk factors,” Samuel Smukowski, a graduate student at the University of Washington, said in a talk at the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s MDA Clinical & Scientific Conference, held in Texas and virtually March 19 through 22.
Smukowski’s talk was titled “Functional consequences of a human-specific
