"New therapies for Alzheimer's disease should target a particular gene linked to the condition, according to researchers who said most cases would never arise if its harmful effects were neutralised. The call to action follows the arrival of the first wave of drugs that aim to treat Alzheimer's patients by removing toxic proteins from the brain. While the drugs slow the disease down, the benefits are minor,"
"People inherit two copies of the gene one from each parent and there are three main variants: Apoe2, 3 and 4. Scientists have long known that people with two copies of Apoe4 are high risk for Alzheimer's, though 40% to 70% never develop the disease. The Apoe3 variant is widely considered neutral and the rare Apoe2 variant is regarded as protective. But Williams said we should see it another way."
Apoe is a single gene with three main variants: Apoe2, Apoe3 and Apoe4. Two risk-raising variants of Apoe substantially increase Alzheimer's disease risk. Current protein-removal drugs slow disease progression only modestly and face limited adoption. Lifestyle factors and several other genes also influence Alzheimer's risk. Analysis of medical records from over 450,000 people of European ancestry estimated the proportion of Alzheimer's attributable to Apoe variants. Individuals inherit two copies of Apoe, and Apoe4 homozygotes have particularly high risk though many never develop disease. Neutralising harmful Apoe effects could prevent a large proportion of potential Alzheimer's cases.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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