A recent study has found that defective genes in humans can trigger diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, lupus and other autoimmune. The study was conducted by scientists at Mount Sinai Hospital.

For a period of five years, the researchers have tried to figure out as to how the mutant gene PTPN22 increases the risk for rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, lupus, Graves disease and other autoimmune disorders.

Dr. Katherine Siminovitch, a Senior Investigator at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital and a University of Toronto Professor said, “Our findings are particularly exciting because the study sets a new precedent for studying arthritis and other autoimmune disorders”.

The researchers informed that changes in gene, which produces a protein that suppresses immune cell responses, could make the immunity system attack its own cells. It has been reported that severe changes in the gene makes the proteins to disappear making the immunity system to attack its own helpful cells.

It is believed that the findings of the study would pave way to understand the propensity of the severity in patients with autoimmune disorders. Moreover, the study would also prove helpful in findings new drugs to treat the disease.