A new research that got underway in the British city of Bradford this week aims at unravelling the genetic reasons why some people develop heart disease and diabetes, with a special focus on the region’s Bangladeshi-origin population.
The gene study by the Born in Bradford project based at the Bradford Royal Infirmary will lead to changes to the ways in which South Asian people are prescribed treatments. The project is already tracking the health of 13,500 children from before birth into adulthood and will begin recruiting participants to the latest study from Bangladeshi and Pakistani backgrounds.
These communities in Bradford have some of the highest rates of poor health in Britain, such as four times the rate of Type 2 diabetes compared to the UK. Scientists and researchers are planning to analyse the genes of more than 20,000 South Asian people in Bradford, alongside those in East London, as part of the UK-wide project.
Professor John Wright, Director of the Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR) which is leading the studies, said: “By studying normal variations in genes in adult Bangladeshi and Pakistani people we’ll also be able to identify what is normal, as this is vital when searching for genes which cause inherited childhood diseases.”
The study will approach people over 16, with or without health problems, who regard themselves as of Bangladeshi or British-Bangladeshi origin or Pakistani or British-Pakistani origin.