New AI tool finds 21 asthma genes, including fatty acid links

Researchers at the University of Chicago and Columbia University have developed a new computational tool called DANDELION that identified 21 genes linked to asthma, most of which were previously unknown. The findings were published in the journal Cell. The tool works by analyzing gene regulatory networks rather than focusing on variants near disease genes, as traditional genome-wide association studies do. The researchers validated their results using CRISPR gene-editing screens and mouse models, confirming the genes' roles in asthma. Two of the identified genes, SLC27A3 and SCD, are involved in fatty acid metabolism and protein palmitoylation, a pathway not previously studied in asthma. The team hopes to apply DANDELION to other diseases like inflammatory bowel disease and Type 2 diabetes.