Identical Twins Identical Problems

While this article is a few years old, I found it fascinating that researchers are using identical twins in the study and research of the development of diseases, in this case rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis affects around 2 million Americans and is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects joints. This genetic disease limits mobility and movement, causes extreme pain and bone deformities, by destructing joints. Rheumatoid arthritis forms in the beginning when the joint tissue grows and subsequently divides similar to how a benign tumor forms. This mass then releases proteins that harm tissue. The only treatments available for this type of arthritis do not cure the underlying problem, they only help other processes, and these treatments are not inclusive in that they don’t help every patient.

The way the researchers are using identical twins is very innovative. The special thing about identical twins is that they have the exact same genetic code. This is quite a benefit because any variation in the gene can be accredited to a person’s surroundings. The variations in an individual’s surroundings could influence how DNA is packed or could cause an accidental genetic mutation. In the twins they studied, the twin with rheumatoid arthritis had three overactive genes compared to the twin without RA. Through this study researchers were also able to identify that genes would be different if neither twin had RA compared to if a different set of twins had it.

These researchers also are open to the idea that the specific genes are prone to oxidative stress. This changes how the individual cell will fix itself in a gene, getting back to how RA forms. This will not always stress the disease to start, but when it does it is the reason why only one twin will get RA.

Studying these twins have helped the researchers to better comprehend RA and recognize new targets for drug treatments, and hopefully they will be able to create drug s that help more people, target the disease better, and have less harmful side effects.

This article caught my attention because I’m a twin. Although I am not an identical twin, I am still interested in the gene research and fascinated that the researchers can study and use the identical genes that identical twins have as a basis for finding the root cause of diseases and hopefully manufacturing new and better drugs for a cure.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2007/0711-identical_twins_identical_problems.htm