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In the biggest international study ever conducted on Alzheimer’s disease, the International Genomics Alzheimer’s Project (I-GAP) consortium has found eleven new regions of the genome active in the start of the neurodegenerative disorder.
The project involved searching the DNA of over 74,000 volunteers for new genetic risks associated with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, probably the most frequently seen form of the condition. I-GAP, made up of four research consortia in the usa and Europe, made the invention possible via a large number of DNA samples and shared datasets
“Collaboration among researchers is key to discerning the genetics contributing to the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Richard J. Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) . “We’re tremendously encouraged by the speed and scientific rigor with which IGAP and other genetic consortia are advancing our understanding.”
One of the biggest finds was the HLA-DRB5/DRB1 region, which plays a role in the body’s defense mechanisms and inflammatory response. This region of genome continues to be associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease, indicating that the diseases where irregular proteins build up in the brain may have a common system involved, and perhaps a common target for treatment.
“The discovery of novel pathways is extremely encouraging taking into consideration the limited success of Alzheimer’s disease drugs tested so far,” said Dr. Margaret Pericak-Vance,?Director of the Miami Institute of Human Genomics. “Our findings bring us closer toward identifying new drug targets for Alzheimer’s along with other neurodegenerative diseases.”
The research also reported another 13 genetic variants that needs to be analyzed further.
“Interestingly, we found that several of these newly identified genes are implicated in many pathways,” said Gerard Schellenberg, from the University of Pennsylvania Med school. “Alzheimer’s is a complex disorder, and more study is needed to determine the relative role all these genetics may play. I am looking forward to our continued collaboration for more information about these-and perhaps other-genes.”
“This research clearly shows that there is really strength in numbers to identify genes that individually possess a small effect on risk of Alzheimer’s,” said Lindsay A. Farrer, Chief of Biomedical Genetics at Boston University Clinic.”But it’s not the magnitude from the odds ratio that’s really important.”
“Each gene we implicate within the disease process adds new knowledge to our understanding of disease mechanism and offers understanding of developing new therapeutic approaches, and eventually these approaches may be more effective in halting the disease since genes are expressed well before symptoms appear and brain damage occurs,” he added.
“This landmark international effort has uncovered new pathways and new genes in old pathways that are definitely associated with Alzheimer dementia, but we have to do much work to better know how exactly these genes operate in health insurance and disease, and also to perhaps make drugs from these genes and molecules,” said Dr. Sudha Seshadri, professor of neurology at Boston University Med school.
“We will continue to mine these recent results for new insights, even as we include more patients and employ technology like whole genome sequencing to find more new pathways and genes.”
