13 April 2007

`Magnificent' local population contribute to major international study

* strictly embargoed for use until 7 pm GMT Thursday April 12th *

(please also see this Wellcome Trust release for further details of the study)

A major research breakthrough announced by scientists today has been spurred on by a significant contribution from the population of Tayside and Fife.

Scientists carrying out a study funded by the Wellcome Trust have identified the most clear genetic link yet to obesity in the general population. People with two copies of a particular gene variant have a 70% higher risk of being obese than those with no copies.

Scientists from the Peninsula Medical School, Exeter, and the University of Oxford first identified a genetic link to obesity through a genome-wide study of 2,000 people with type 2 diabetes and 3,000 controls. This study was part of the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium, one of the biggest projects ever undertaken to identify the genetic variations that may predispose people to or protect them from major diseases. Through this genome-wide study, the researchers identified a strong association between an increase in BMI and a variation, or "allele", of the gene FTO. Their findings are published online today in the journal Science.

The researchers then tested a further 37,000 samples for this gene from Bristol, Dundee and Exeter as well as a number of other regions in the UK and Finland.

Almost 7000 of these samples were provided by the general public in Tayside and Fife, a contribution that has been hailed as "magnificent" by Professor Andrew Morris, Chair of Diabetic Medicine at the University of Dundee and one of the authors of the Wellcome Trust report.

"The simple fact is that we cannot carry out any of this research without the help of the public, and we are extremely fortunate here in Tayside and Fife that the general population has been so incredibly supportive of the work we do," said Professor Morris.

"Their contribution to this study has been magnificent. This is a major breakthrough in our understanding of obesity, which also has huge implications for diseases such as diabetes. All of our volunteers have played a key role in bringing us to this point."

"The samples we collected locally were provided in just over two years, which is extremely quick and makes us the envy of many other places around the world for the support that is granted us by the public and also our local General Practitioners, who are absolutely key in helping us to deliver these kinds of results."

Around half of those who provided samples locally were people with Type 2 diabetes. The others were healthy patients whose information is used as a `control' to help monitor the results of the research.

Obesity is a major cause of disease, associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer. It is typically measured using body mass index (BMI). As a result of reduced physical activity and increased food consumption, the prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide. According to the 2001 Health Survey for England, over a fifth of males and a similar proportion of females aged 16 and over in England were classified as obese. Half of men and a third of women were classified as overweight.

The University of Dundee is a major research centre into the causes of diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. The University hosts the Dundee Diabetes Research Centre and is currently engaged in a major £3 million fundraising campaign for diabetes research.

The charity campaign aims to establish state-of-the-art outpatient clinical research facilities in Angus, Perth and Dundee, enabling scientists and doctors to work together to undertake research from "the cell to the community".

As part of the campaign a charity concert is being held at Perth Concert Hall this Saturday (April 14th) featuring pianist George Donald and acclaimed fiddler Paul Anderson. Tickets for the concert are on sale from Perth Concert Hall - www.horsecross.co.uk

For media enquiries contact:

Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk