Researchers Study Mystery of the Toddler Who Won't Grow 252
kkleiner writes "Twenty-year-old Brooke Greenberg hasn't grown since age five. For the last 15 years, mystified doctors have been unable to explain the cause for Brooke's disorder that has kept her aging in check. At age twenty, she maintains the physical and mental appearance of a toddler. The researchers are now are painstakingly analyzing Brooke’s entire genome in search of unique mutations. Needless to say, it is a formidable undertaking. 'Cracking the code on Brooke’s condition,' [Dr. Eric Shadt] wrote, 'is the proverbial searching for a needle in a haystack, since likely there is one or a small number of letters changed in Brooke’s genome that has caused her condition.' To find the mutation Shadt and his team are using the latest genome sequencing and analysis tools. The strategy is to compare Brooke’s genome to the genomes of her parents and three normal sisters, as well as to other available sequences from the general population, and identify gene mutations that only Brooke has."
Re:Mental appearance? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Bioshock? (Score:5, Informative)
I seem to remember reading an article about her a few years ago. IIRC, her telomeres are shortening at a normal rate -- which would suggest she *IS* aging at that level.
Re:think of the possible implications! (Score:5, Informative)
I'd be interested to see a telomere study. Physiologically she's four years old, but is she four at the cellular and genetic levels?
According to this [sciencedirect.com] study, her telomeres match her chronological age, so she appears to be aging in that sense.
Re:interesting. (Score:4, Informative)
Insufficient iodine levels cause Cretinism by causing the thyroid to not produce sufficient growth hormones. Since the article states her hormones are normal...
Re:think of the possible implications! (Score:5, Informative)
It's not in the summary or article, but wikipedia [wikipedia.org] says her body is aging, with different parts aging at different rates. And that "her telomeres seem to be shortening at the normal rate."
Re:Wouldn't They See That in the Endocrine System? (Score:5, Informative)