Healthcare: Alzheimer Team Identifies Gene That Nearly Doubles Disease
By Phillip Williams on April 17, 2010, 7:15 am Posted in Economy NewsA team of United States researchers have determined a gene variant that might double the risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer’s disease which affects those aged 60 and up. The research was one of the largest groups ever assembled for such a study. It consisted of 2269 people experiencing late-onset Alzheimer’s along with 3107 people who were free of the disease.
What The Study Determined
The research is known as a genome-wide association study. It studies the entire genome trying to find any small difference in long stretches of DNA. The purpose is to try to determine those that are more prevalent in those with a particular condition, in this case, Alzheimer’s Disease.
Alzheimer’s Disease Is Expected To Nearly Double Worldwide In The Next 15 Years
The World Health Organization has estimated that people suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease will double by the year 2025. The number is expected to grow from 18 million people to 34 million. As the number of patients continues to grow at such a drastic rate researchers have been searching for genes that contribute to Alzheimer’s. Since the treatment for the disease is practically nil the hope is that an understanding of the function of the genes will help to improve treatment in the future.
Principal Investigator Margaret Pericak-Vance Hopes To Treat It Or Approach It
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s John P. Hussman Institute for Human Geonomics Director, Margaret Pericak-Vance, stated, “Taken together, the research hints at ways in which the gene variant might be associated with changes in blood vessel function in the brain that impact Alzheimer’s.” She said that people are excited about this study because it joins together genetics and biology. She concluded, “Maybe we can put the biology together with genetics and come up with some way to either treat it or approach it.”
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