The study led by a team at the EHU has identified hundreds of molecular markers in the oral cavity that can reflect pathological processes in other parts of the body. (Autor: Maitane Vilor)
A study conducted by a team at EHU (University of Basque Country) has found hundreds of molecular markers in the oral cavity that may indicate pathological processes occurring in other parts of the body.
Hundreds of molecular markers in saliva were identified by the research team in the University of the Basque Country (EHU), that might indicate the risk of a person developing dangerous diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. These results pave the way for the further development of a non-invasive tool for early diagnosis and precision medicine.
“Saliva is one of the most accessible biological fluids but it is still underutilized in clinical practice”, said Jose Ramon Bilbao, Professor of Medical Genetics at the EHU and one of the lead authors of the study. “Our results show that molecular markers present in saliva can reflect systemic pathological processes beyond the oral cavity.”
Saliva samples are widely used in order to carry out genetic tests in order to, among other thing, to determine paternity, however, as shown in this study saliva-based clinical analysis reaches further than this.
More than 350 people’s saliva samples were collected and analyzed and catalogued the common variations in DNA, known as genetic polymorphisms, or SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms), that could influence genome function in saliva. They found that these polymorphisms act as a switch that activates or deactivates the function of the genes they affect. Comparing the data from their study with the results of previous large international genetic studies on the risk of developing chronic diseases, they observed that many of the same polymorphisms that were detected in the saliva are associated with a higher risk of developing common diseases such as prostate cancer, coronary disease, Parkinson’s and Type 2 diabetes.
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