Published online this week in Nature is the report about the identification of a gene strongly associated with a risk of developing childhood onset asthma.

In a genetic study of more than 2,000 children, scientists established that genetic markers on chromosome 17 had a striking effect on the risk of asthma in children.

They also found that these markers altered the levels of a new gene called ORMDL3, which was at a higher level in the blood cells of children with asthma than in those without.

According to the said study, the disease-associated version of the gene increases the risk of having asthma by 60-70%.

The researchers who conducted the study, from Imperial College London and colleagues from the UK, France, Germany, the USA and Austria hope that their findings will lead to the development of new therapies for childhood asthma.

Find more details from the full report.