Genetic Study to Understand Linkage Between Lead Exposure and Children's Intellectual Development in India

BioServe Partners with Harvard and University of Michigan on Landmark Public Health Study

31-Jan-2007

BioServe, provider of processing and analyses of genomic content from biological samples, has been selected to work with scientists from the Harvard and University of Michigan Schools of Public Health on a landmark study aimed at understanding how genetics and environmental lead pollution interact to affect children's intellectual and behavioral functioning. Under terms of the agreement, BioServe will perform DNA purification and genotyping on tissue samples collected from 750 school children in Chennai (formerly Madras), India who have been exposed to lead pollutants. The goal is to help the investigators determine whether genetic factors predispose children to - or protect them from - certain toxic effects.

Although it is well-known that high lead levels in the body can negatively affect intelligence, this is the first study in India to measure that effect. According to the company, the study is unusual in that it will also measure how lead exposure affects both visual-spatial-motor skills and aggressive behavior and it is one of the first studies to research how individual genetic makeup may modify the neurobehavioral impact of lead exposure.

The overall study, now in the third of three years, is funded with a grant from The John E. Fogarty International Center - the international component of the National Institutes of Health - which addresses global health challenges through innovative and collaborative research and training programs. Results are expected in about a year

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/61387/genetic-study-to-understand-linkage-between-lead-exposure-and-children-s-intellectual-development-in-india.html