Medical researchers have developed a drug targeting a version of a gene which makes African Americans more than 250 percent likely to suffer a heart attack than people from other races who are carriers of the same variant. While this gene precariously increases the risk of heart problems, it simultaneously bolsters an inflammatory reaction to other diseases.

The research team theorizes this gene may have become prominent in Europeans and Asians as it girds the immune system. Since the gene has been predominant in European and Asian populations for an extended period of time, this demographic has been able to develop genetic responses that reduce its corresponding heart-related ailments.

The theory contends that the dominant version of this gene would have passed into African-American populations recently. Consequently, African Americans whom carry this gene have not been afforded a sufficient amount of time to develop a genetic response offsetting its injurous effects.

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The Philoneist Says: Whether this theory is valid or not (especially since it ignores cultural and economic catalysts), if race-based medicines are clinically proven to work better then generic regimens then they are ultimately a worthwhile approach to mitigating the effects of an infirmity.