Fed Uni research helps unlock "treasure trove" of potential blood pressure treatment

Identification of the 179 kidney genes responsible for high blood pressure or hypertension could pave the way to finding new treatments for the disease which, if left untreated, can cause strokes and heart attacks.

Federation University's renowned heart disease and genetic research expert Professor Fadi Charchar was part of the team, led by the University of Manchester, to find the genes responsible for high blood pressure, most of which had never before been associated with the condition.

Some of the newly-identified genes can be targeted by existing medicines, opening the door for new treatment opportunities.

"Our studies filled an important gap in our knowledge through uncovering new genetic variants, kidney genes, molecular mechanisms and biological pathways of key relevance to genetic regulation of blood pressure and inherited susceptibility to hypertension," Professor Charchar said.

"This will be a treasure trove for new medicines for high blood pressure."

Around 23 per cent of people aged over 18 in the Ballarat region suffer from high blood pressure, while many more go undiagnosed.

"A lot of people don't know they have high blood pressure and a lot of people aren't treated for it. Even for 20 per cent of people who are treated, their blood pressure is not controlled," Professor Charchar has previously said.

High blood pressure often runs in families but the exact mechanisms through which genes influence individuals' predisposition to the condition is not clear.

The findings of the research, which was funded through the British Heart Foundation, Kidney Research UK and National health and Medical Research Council of Australia, were published in the scientific journal Nature Genetics.

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"Hypertension is a key driver of coronary heart disease and stroke and the single most important cause of disability and premature death worldwide. Yet, our understanding of the role of genes in development of this condition has been incomplete," said principal investigator Professor Maciej Tomaszewski from the University of Manchester.

The research team used datasets of human DNA and RNA - molecules in the coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes - from one of the world's biggest banks of human kidney tissue.

Professor Charchar's team studied the epigenetics of the tissue, or changes to DNA caused by the environment, that could cause high blood pressure while Professor Tomaszewski's team in the UK characterised how information inherited in DNA translates into genetic predisposition to high blood pressure through changes in the activity of certain kidney genes.

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