Demand is not expected to slacken off until the end of 2001. Meanwhile, the management of Nord Aluminium have formally requested a study on the national and social impact of the expansion of the smelter at Grundartangi. The conclusions should be available within a few weeks. The Iceland-based genomics company deCODE genetics and Roche announced two new research milestones in a press release yesterday. Firstly, researchers at deCODE have identified the chromosomal location of a gene that is predicted to contribute to osteoporosis in carriers of certain molecular variants.
Osteoporosis is a disorder characterised by the progressive thinning and weakening of the bones.
It generally strikes people over the age of 50 and is four times more common in women than in men. PAOD is a narrowing of the arteries of the arms and legs that strikes between two and five per cent of people over the age of 65 worldwide, resulting in pain, diminished mobility, the need for invasive surgery, and, in extreme cases, loss of the affected limbs. In the past eighteen months, deCODE and Roche have reached collaborative research milestones for the mapping of genes linked to osteoarthritis, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. Last Wednesday Birgisson was meant to have attended a meeting with his business partner at their recently opened GAP store, but according to his partner he never showed up. According to sources, police searched the suspect's home and workplace.