ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, July 13, 1990                   TAG: 9007130260
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

ELEPHANT MAN GENE FOUND, SCIENTISTS SAY

The gene that causes neurofibromatosis, a disfiguring disease once thought to be suffered by John Merrick, the Elephant Man, has been discovered by two teams of American researchers, the scientists announced Thursday.

An estimated 100,000 Americans live with the disease, known as NF, making it nearly as common as cystic fibrosis, the most frequently inherited illness.

In NF, damage to the gene causes uncontrolled growth of certain types of nerve cells, leading to the formation of frequently painful non-cancerous tumors all over the body. The tumors increase in size and number with age, and, at their worst, can disrupt bone formation, causing serious disfigurement.

Francis Collins, a geneticist at the University of Michigan Medical Center, led one research group that found the gene. Raymond White of the University of Utah School of Medicine led the other team. - The Washington Post 


 by CNB