Scientists have discovered three important new genetic link to Alzheimer’s disease, which affects up to 20 percent of people with neurodegenerative disease, and said Sunday it was the discovery of any major in 15 years.
Two large studies found that the three new genes join the APOE4 gene, better known as significant risk factors for the most common cause of dementia.
“If we were able to eliminate the harmful effects of these genes across treatments could reduce the proportion of people developing Alzheimer’s disease by 20 percent,” Julie Williams, Professor of Neuropsychological Genetics at Cardiff University in Britain , told a press conference in London.
Alzheimer’s disease affects more than 26 million people worldwide, has no cure and no good treatment. The need for effective remedies is urgent, with the number of cases forecast to go beyond 100 million in 2050.
Current drugs can only delay the symptoms suffered by patients, they lose memory, the ability to find their way and take care of themselves.
Williams, who led one of the two studies published in Nature Genetics, said that in Britain alone, eradicating the effects of three new genes that would mean almost 100,000 people could avoid the disease.
She said the results were the most important genetic discoveries for Alzheimer’s disease in the 15 years since it was found to be linked APOE4, saying pharmaceutical companies have shown keen interest in their research.
More genes there to CATCH
Williams and colleagues at Cardiff Medical Research Council Neuropsychiatric Center for Genetics and Genomics conducted a genome-wide association study – an analysis of the complete genetic map – with more than 16,000 people in eight countries. We identified two new genes – called Clusterin and PICALM – that increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
A genome-wide second study conducted by Philippe Amouyel and colleagues at the Pasteur Institute of Lille in France, studied more than 6,000 people with Alzheimer’s and about 9,000 healthy people in France, Belgium, Finland, Italy and Spain. They identified Clusterin and a third gene called CR1.
Amouyel said the risks of diseases associated with each gene were difficult to quantify, and said the three genes were relatively common. The scientists also stressed that as yet unknown combination of many environmental and genetic factors other cause of Alzheimer’s.
Clusterin The researchers said may explain the 10 percent of cases of Alzheimer PICALM around 9 per cent and 4 per cent CR1. In comparison, 20 to 25 percent of Alzheimer’s cases are related to the APOE.
Three genetic variations have also been associated with rare, early onset forms of Alzheimer’s disease in families. The identification of genes can help researchers understand the underlying causes of disease and design drugs to combat them.
Michael Owen, director of the center of Cardiff, said his study also found evidence that other genes might play a role in the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.
“It’s a bit like we’ve been fishing with a fishing net and we got some fish. We know there are more fish there, and with a fine mesh that we can achieve,” he said.
The Cardiff team is now planning a new study involving 60,000 participants to look deeper into the genetic causes of Alzheimer’s disease.
Related posts: