Researchers discover 16 new Alzheimer’s disease susceptibility genes

The new multi-ancestry, genome-wide study shows promise for improving Alzheimer’s Disease prediction risk and guiding new treatment targets

2025-02-25

(Press-News.org) Investigators from Mass General Brigham have conducted a multi-ancestry, whole genome sequencing association study of Alzheimer’s disease and found evidence for 16 new susceptibility genes, expanding the study of Alzheimer’s disease in underrepresented groups. Their results are published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

For the study, co-led by Julian Daniel Sunday Willett, MD, PhD, and Mohammad Waqas, of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit and McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of Mass General Brigham, researchers used whole-genome sequencing and a cohort of 49,149 individuals. The study included 12,074 participants who were clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and 37,075 diagnosed due to their family history. Participants were from multiple public databases and nearly half were of non-European ancestry. Researchers found 16 novel Alzheimer’s disease-associated genetic signals, highlighting the importance of studying diverse populations. Next, according to co-senior author Dmitry Prokopenko, PhD, the team plans to analyze additional sets of whole genome sequencing data, with a double increase of the sample size, including a gene-based rare variant analysis. They also plan to combine the signals of rare variants within genes.

“We were pleasantly surprised to have made this discovery by expanding genetic analyses beyond populations of European ancestry to more diverse populations,” said co-senior author Rudolph Tanzi, PhD, director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit, the McCance Center for Brain Health, and co-director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease at Massachusetts General Hospital. “We hope this will lead to more accurate predictions of Alzheimer’s disease risk and to new pharmacological and biological targets for treatment and prevention in populations with various ancestries.”

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

We need a new definition of dyslexia, research says

2025-02-25

A new definition of dyslexia is needed to more accurately describe the learning disorder and give those struggling with dyslexia the specific support they require, says new research. Dyslexia has had several different definitions over the years and this murky and complicated history means it can be a postcode lottery for children who may have dyslexia, or those who have been diagnosed but can’t access the support they need. The first step to fixing this issue, new research has argued, is to redefine dyslexia and adopt the new definition across the UK. The research was conducted by the University of Birmingham, the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC), Kings College London, ...

Young women suffering menopause symptoms in silence, study reveals

2025-02-25

More than half of women ages 30 to 35 are already suffering moderate to severe symptoms associated with menopause, yet most women are waiting decades before seeking treatment, new research from UVA Health and the Flo women’s health app reveals. The research sheds important light on “perimenopause,” the transition period leading to menopause. Many women in perimenopause assume they’re too young to be suffering symptoms related to menopause, believing that symptoms won’t appear until they reach their 50s. But this ...

Rebels of health care use technology to connect with clinicians, information, and each other

2025-02-25

Rebels of health care use technology to connect with clinicians, information, and each other Cambridge, MA – February 25, 2025 – The future of health care is being forged in the crucible of rare disease. A new survey led by Susannah Fox, author of Rebel Health: A Field Guide to the Patient-Led Revolution in Medical Care (The MIT Press), finds that 15% of U.S. households are affected by rare disease or an undiagnosed illness. Their lives are characterized by extreme stress, often matched by their resourcefulness. “People living with rare diseases push the edges of what is possible by using technology ...

Smart is sexy: evolution of intelligence partly driven by love

2025-02-25

The Beatles said it best: Love is all you need. And according to new research from The Australian National University (ANU), the same is true in the animal kingdom. Well, at least for mosquitofish – a matchstick-sized fish endemic to Central America and now found globally. According to the ANU scientists, male mosquitofish possess impressive problem-solving skills and can successfully navigate mazes and other tests. Males that perform better have a higher chance of mating. Lead author Dr Ivan Vinogradov said male mosquitofish ...

Have we been wrong about why Mars is red?

2025-02-25

Mars is easily identifiable in the night sky by its prominent red hue. Thanks to the fleet of spacecraft that have studied the planet over the last decades, we know that this red colour is due to rusted iron minerals in the dust. That is, iron bound up in Mars’s rocks has at some point reacted with liquid water, or water and oxygen in the air, similar to how rust forms on Earth. Over billions of years this rusty material – iron oxide – has been broken down into dust and spread all around the planet by winds, a process that continues today. But iron ...

Screening & treating maternal psychological health key to improving cardiovascular health

2025-02-25

Statement Highlights: It is essential for health care professionals to routinely screen pregnant and postpartum women for depression and anxiety, address modifiable risk factors and consider behavioral and pharmacological interventions to improve long-term maternal health outcomes. Multidisciplinary care teams, including psychologists and other behavioral health professionals, are important to monitor and provide appropriate mental health support during pregnancy and after birth. The new ...

Childhood trauma increases incidence of heart disease in Black women, Emory study finds

2025-02-25

New research from Emory University indicates that childhood trauma physically alters the hearts of Black women. The study, which examined the relationship between childhood exposure to trauma and vascular dysfunction among more than 400 Black adults in Atlanta ages 30 to 70, found that women who experienced childhood trauma had a worse vascular function, a preclinical marker of heart disease, while men had none. In addition, the findings show women may be more vulnerable to a larger cumulative stress burden, eliciting varying physiological ...

Why is Mars red? Scientists may finally have the answer

2025-02-25

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Mars has captivated scientists and the public alike for centuries. One of the biggest reasons is the planet’s reddish hue, earning the third rock from the sun one its most popular nicknames — the “Red Planet.” But what exactly gives the planet its iconic color? Scientists have wondered this for as long as they’ve studied the planet. Today, they may finally have a concrete answer, one that ties into Mar’s watery past. Results from a new study published in the journal Nature Communications and led by researchers from Brown University and the University of Bern suggest that the water-rich iron mineral ...

Research challenges our understanding of cancer predisposition

2025-02-25

Despite what was previously thought, new research has shown that genetic changes alone cannot explain why and where tumours grow in those with genetic condition neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). Understanding more about the factors involved could, in the future, facilitate early cancer detection in NF-1 patients and even point towards new treatments. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and their collaborators, focused on NF-1, a genetic condition that causes ...

What makes cancer cells weak

2025-02-25

One particular challenge in the treatment of cancer is therapy resistance. An international research team has now discovered a mechanism that opens up new treatment strategies for tumours in which conventional chemotherapeutic agents have reached their limits. "Cytotoxic agents from nature lead to an increased incorporation of polyunsaturated fatty acids into the membrane of cancer cells. This makes them more susceptible to ferroptosis, a type of cell death, at a very early stage," reports Andreas Koeberle, a pharmacist at the University of Graz and lead author of the study, which has just been published in the scientific journal Nature ...

Researchers discover 16 new Alzheimer’s disease susceptibility genes

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: