The death of Jett Travolta, third from left, brought the rare childhood condition known as Kawasaki disease to the attention of the public.
The death of Jett Travolta, third from left, brought the rare childhood condition known as Kawasaki disease to the attention of the public.

A world of genetic research



Kawasaki disease, a rare autoimmune illness that mostly affects young children, was in the news recently in two different stories. In the first case, the disease was linked with Jett Travolta, son of the actor John Travolta. Jett died on Jan 2 after he had a seizure. He had apparently been ill for some time and his parents said he had Kawasaki disease. It brought the condition to the attention of the public, and was followed by news of research in Australia into how the disease behaves.

Prof David Burgner from the University of Western Australia co-led a team that studied the entire human genome in an attempt to find new genes involved in making some children more susceptible to the disease. It was first described by Dr Tomisaku Kawasaki in 1967, and although the condition is treatable, little has been learnt since about its causes. It presents itself as an inflammatory condition. It affects several organs including the mucus membranes, the walls of blood vessels and lymph nodes. Its many symptoms include fever, rashes, swollen feet and hands, conjunctivitis and swollen lymph nodes. Children aged six months to five years seem particularly susceptible. It can be fatal, but only one in 1,000 cases result in death. Although it is rare, Prof Burgner explained why it was important to tackle the illness.

"Kawasaki disease is an important and serious illness of preschool children," he said. "Importantly it is the only childhood illness that damages the coronary arteries, in one quarter of untreated children and five to 10 per cent of treated children. This coronary damage may have long-term health implications, including death, angina and heart attacks in childhood and the need for coronary bypass surgery and even, rarely, heart transplant in childhood."

In the research study Prof Burgner's team considered genetic variation among 900 cases of the disease found in children from the US, Singapore, the Netherlands, the UK and Australia. The findings identified genes that may increase the susceptibility of some children to the disease, but further research is needed. "Kawasaki disease is thought to be an abnormal immunological reaction to an unknown infectious trigger. There is a strong genetic component, so genes are important in determining susceptibility, as we believe all children are likely to be exposed to the trigger," Prof Burgner said.

"Our study is the first published that has investigated the entire human genome looking for important associated genes; most studies focus on a few candidate genes. We have identified at least eight new genes that have not previously been described in Kawasaki disease and some of them seem to function together. Some of the genes are involved in cardiovascular health - the function of blood vessels and in control of the immune system."

Identifying eight genes expands the scope of future research considerably. However, studying the entire human genome is not the biggest problem facing the researchers. "The main issue is recruiting enough cases of Kawasaki disease, which is why we embarked on an international study. Ideally we need up to 5,000 cases to cover more of the human genome and find more of the important genes. We were very lucky to work with the Genome Institute of Singapore, who are one of the top genomics facilities in the world - this made the actual genetic laboratory work and analysis possible."

Dr Brian McCrindle, a cardiologist from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, gave a talk on Kawasaki disease at the Arab Health Congress in Dubai in January. He believes the new findings offer potential for future research. "The research is very preliminary and needs to be verified in other people's work, but there are some promising leads," he said. "Kawasaki disease can look like other diseases and sometimes it doesn't have typical presentation," he said.

Raising awareness is vital because the disease can be misdiagnosed, but developing a cure for any rare disease is difficult. However, Prof Burgner believes the identification of eight new genes will help with the treatment process. "We hope that our work will contribute to the development of a diagnostic test and better treatment within the next few years, but we are not there yet," he said. "At the moment doctors make a clinical diagnosis, based on the rash, fever et cetera, and there is no blood test that really helps. We urgently need a diagnostic test so children are treated earlier and Kawasaki disease is not missed, so reducing the long-term heart problems."

Finding a cure remains a possibility, though. "In Japan, for example, where one in 150 children suffer KD, it may be realistic to develop a vaccine, especially if Kawasaki disease increases the risk of atherosclerosis in later life - this is an unknown area at present," Prof Burgner said. He also believes that the method used in his research of analysing the entire human genome will be adopted as the way forward in studying other infectious diseases.

"Genes are known to be important in determining susceptibility to infection so it is a proven and exciting method to try and identify the important genes that make people more or less likely to get infection and once they have it, more or less likely to survive. This should lead to better prevention and treatment. I suspect tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis B and C and malaria will be the likely diseases that we will see these sorts of studies in very soon," he said.

For the moment, however, Prof Burgner is keen to continue to develop the research path he is pursuing with Kawasaki disease. There is also the possibility of collaborating with medical professionals in the Middle East. "We are expanding the collaborative genetics group to include Asian and other populations, aiming to work together as a scientific community to crack this mysterious disease. We would very much like to hear from anyone in your region who has an interest in Kawasaki disease and sees many patients," he said.

Peter Donnelly is a science correspondent for the life science division at IIR Middle East

HWJN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Yasir%20Alyasiri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Baraa%20Alem%2C%20Nour%20Alkhadra%2C%20Alanoud%20Saud%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Alnamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMicrofinance%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E16%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFamily%20offices%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history

Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)

Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.

 

Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)

A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.

 

Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)

Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.

 

Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)

Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
A%20Little%20to%20the%20Left
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMax%20Inferno%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PC%2C%20Mac%2C%20Nintendo%20Switch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Thank You for Banking with Us

Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

SPECS

Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes. 
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com

The specs: 2017 Dodge Viper SRT

Price, base / as tested Dh460,000

Engine 8.4L V10

Transmission Six-speed manual

Power 645hp @ 6,200rpm

Torque 813Nm @ 5,000rpm

Fuel economy, combined 16.8L / 100km

MATCH INFO

Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)

Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, May 3
Live: On BeIN Sports HD


The UAE Today

The latest news and analysis from the Emirates

      By signing up, I agree to The National's privacy policy
      The UAE Today