Researchers have discovered a gene closely linked to how much African Americans smoke, according to a School of Medicine press release.

“Knowing that this gene is important in different ancestral groups… suggests it as a target for drug discovery and development,” said Sean David, clinical associate professor of medicine at Stanford, in the press release.

David was a co-leader of the study, which collaborated with more than 79 researchers across the United States. Drawing data from more than 32,000 African Americans, researchers concluded that the gene CHRNA5 is statistically relevant in predicting smoking behavior. Researchers previously found that the same gene is relevant in predicting smoking behavior of people with European ancestry.

The study, however, found that the genetic marker correlated with smoking behaviors is in a different place on the gene depending on one’s ethnicity.

According to David, it is crucial to understand how nicotine receptors vary across ethnicities because African Americans statistically have a higher risk of developing lung cancer, despite beginning to smoke later in life than other ethnic groups.

Researchers also discovered a genetic marker that closely predicts number of cigarettes smoked per day.

Stanford contributed 8,208 participants to the study, called the Study of Tobacco in Minority Populations, or STOMP.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute of General Medicine Sciences funded the study, which was published Tuesday in Translational Psychiatry.

— Mary Ann Toman-Miller