Alzheimer’s: record number of risk genes discovered in largest ever study

In the largest study of its kind, an international collaboration of scientists, jointly led by Cardiff University, has uncovered 11 new susceptibility genes linked with Alzheimer’s disease. This major breakthrough will significantly advance scientists’ knowledge of Alzheimer’s, and throws open new research avenues and enables a better understanding of the disease’s disordered functional processes.

Published in Nature Genetics and undertaken by the International Genomics Project (IGAP),1 the work details 11 new regions of the genome involved in the onset of this neurodegenerative condition. The research, part-funded by the Medical Research Council, the Welsh Government and Alzheimer’s Research UK, builds on the genome-wide association analysis study that has, since 2009, discovered 10 genes known to be associated with Alzheimer’s.

Significant progress
“This discovery will pinpoint new mechanisms underlying Alzheimer’s disease,” said Professor Julie Williams, Head of Neurodegeneration at Cardiff University School of Medicine’s Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre on Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, who led one of four global research consortia.