Nature Genetics' world's largest research has found new Alzheimer's genes

The researchers identified two new genes
that increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
An international team of Cardiff University's Dementia Research Institute compared 32,000 genetic codes from Alzheimer's patients and healthy people
.

The study identified some new genes that contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease and specific mutations in these genes
.
They found rare damaging gene mutations in the ATP8B4 and ABCA1 genes, which may increase the risk of
Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers also found evidence of
gene alternation in another gene, ADAM10.

Professor Julie Williams, co-author of the study, said: "These findings lead us to very specific processes in the brain, which include differences in the brain's immune system and the way the
brain processes cholesterol.
These differences affect brain function and contribute to the development of
Alzheimer's disease.
”

Alzheimer's disease is the most common dementia in the UK
.
It is estimated that 60-80% of Alzheimer's disease risk can be explained
by genetic factors.
For early-onset Alzheimer's disease (under 65 years of age), this increases to more than
90%.

Professor Williams added: "This study helps to broaden our understanding
of who is at risk of developing this dementia.
The discovery of these genes also allows us to understand the underlying mechanisms of Alzheimer's disease and create genetic models of the disease in order to develop targeted therapies through new drug treatments and even gene therapies
in the future.

The study, titled "Exome sequencing identifies rare disruptive variants in ATP8B4 and ABCA1 as risk factors for Alzheimer's disease," was published in Nature Genetics
.

Exome sequencing identifies rare damaging variants in ATP8B4 and ABCA1 as risk factors for Alzheimer's disease