Earwax discovery could prevent other problems
The mystery of earwax production has been solved.
Researchers at UC Irvine and in Japan have found that production is
controlled by a gene linked to a rare movement disorder. This discovery
may eventually help prevent breast cancer and excessive body odor.
Dr. Hiroaki Tomita, a postdoctoral fellow at UCI’s Department of
Psychiatry, and his colleagues in Japan found that the gene that produces
earwax was in the same area as the gene that produces a rare genetic
disorder.
While the two genes do not appear to regulate each other, it is not
known how the mutations came to appear so closely to each other on the
16th chromosome.
Previous research has suggested a relation between wet earwax and high
rates of breast cancer.
Tomita said more research is necessary to determine the exact starting
and ending points of the earwax gene for a better understanding of the
relationship between earwax production, body odor and breast cancer.
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