Got asthma? Then you might also go on to get Parkinson's. Celiac? You'll want to watch out for lung cancer. That's the kind of information you can get on a new website that uncovers the links between common conditions based on genetic analysis.
When you consider the complexity of the human body, it's no surprise that coming down with one disease or condition might impact the development of others, a state of affairs known as multimorbidity. Of course, most people already know that high blood pressure can head to heart disease or that Crohn's disease can lead to ulcers. Lesser known, perhaps, is that type 2 diabetes has been linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease, or that some forms of arthritis have been associated with lung disease.
Previous research out of Finland has mapped the interconnectedness of 502 diseases based on a range of criteria including genetics, metabolic pathways, medicines, and symptoms. Now researchers at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center have added to the growing body of knowledge regarding multimorbidities, and created a website that lets other researchers and members of the public track the interconnectedness of certain conditions.
To create their database, the scientists used MRA analysis to look at the genetic molecular data involved with 45 different diseases taken from over 4,000 patients. They discovered that 64% of the diseases they found linked were caused by similarities in gene expressions. They also discovered that the immune system was at the core of 95% of clinically related diseases.
In addition to sorting out which diseases were more likely to lead to the development of others, the researchers were also able to trace negative interactions – cases where one condition seems to protect patients from developing other conditions. The website now allows investigators to sort by both these positive or negative interactions or to see both at once.
"We have known for years that patients with Huntington's disease develop fewer solid tumours, such as lung or breast cancer, than would be expected by chance," said lead author Beatriz Urda, as an example. "This study provides a possible molecular explanation for this phenomenon, revealing that many of the biological processes associated with Huntington's disease follow pathways opposite to those of cancer. We can now investigate these mechanisms and learn from them."
Other negative associations that emerged from the analysis include autism and leukemia; bipolar disorder and multiple cancers; and Parkinson's disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
The website takes the form of a node-link diagram and shows negative associations using blue lines and positive associations in red. The thicker the lines, the more strongly associated the diseases. If a certain positive link was already known, the line is dotted. New associations that emerged from the research are solid.
The researchers say that beyond general information purposes, their findings and accompanying website now gives other scientists new pathways to explore when examining links between diseases, especially at the level of molecular genetics.
"Our study stresses the need to integrate the study of comorbidities and their underlying molecular similarities within a personalized medicine scope, with the aim to capture disease interactions dependent on disease subtypes or other patient-specific factors," write the researchers in the conclusion to their study, which has been published in the journal, PNAS. "By doing so, we aspire not only to enhance our understanding of the potential secondary conditions in specific patients but to better characterize the underlying molecular processes driving these relationships."
Source: Barcelona Supercomputing Center
