Ancient Irish skeletons could help medical researchers to learn more about the bone disorder called hereditary multiple osteochondromas (HMO). The two bodies – one around 800 years old and the other 1,100 years old – were one of over 1,000 skeletons excavated from Ballyhanna graveyard in Co Donegal.
Both suffered from massive bone growths during their lifetime. Only 16 cases of HMO have been identified in ancient remains worldwide. Four of these have been located in Ireland.
It is now hoped that these cases could help inform clinicians in understanding the disease.
A sample of the 800-year-old man called ‘Skeleton 331’, who was aged between 25 and 35 when he died, has been sent to a genetics unit in Italy for further examination.
Although the DNA in the bone was very degraded, the specialised laboratory may be able to extract enough DNA for analysis to provide clues as to the evolution of the disease, which is estimated to affect one in 50,000 people.
The remains were discovered when the forgotten cemetery at Ballyhanna was excavated in 2003/’04 ahead of the building of a new stretch of motorway.
Researchers from the Institute of Technology in Sligo and Queen’s University Belfast are collaborating on the Ballyhanna project.
About Greg Baxter
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