Gene Studies Lead To Breakthrough

Tue, 07/13/2004 — Fasteriskhead

Anaheim, CA (AP) -- Scientists at the Trusteeship for the Investigation of Teel's Syndrome yesterday published a study announcing the discovery of a genetic variation that may account for more than 60% of known cases of the disease in question, more popularly known as "Invinco Fever." Teel's Syndrome has thousands of documented cases in America alone, and countless other victims all around the world have gone undiagnosed.

"We're talking about making a huge step forward in the treatment of a massively widespread medical crisis that has gone nearly unsung until very recently," said project leader Dr. Sak Ritmo at today's press conference. "If nothing else, we can now inform people of their condition beforehand and allow them to tell their families, 'Oh no, here comes Teel's Syndrome.' Though there's still no known cure for Invinco Fever, the fact that we can now identify high-risk cases not only gives us the chance to treat people much earlier, but we finally have a key for studying the disease in far greater depth."

In brief, the study suggests that a specific mutation (classified as INV-20XX) may ultimately result in the creation of a faulty protein that is far more vulnerable to attack than normal. This protein, BNK-R, is "blasted away" by opportunistic bacteria over the course of childhood and early adult life, and its failure facilitates and can eventually lead to the onset of Teel's Syndrome. According to the study, humans carrying this mutation are around 150% more likely to contract the disease than the average population, although it does not account for all cases.