Chinese scientists hope Alzheimer’s gene discovery will pave way for new treatments
- The team identified a previously unknown genetic mutation that causes the disease when studying a mother and two siblings diagnosed with dementia
- Researchers say the discovery could open the door to the development of new drugs and treatments for the condition
Chinese researchers have identified a new gene mutation that can cause Alzheimer’s disease, a discovery the authors say could help develop new drugs to treat the condition.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and a major public health problem across the world.
About 44 million people around the globe live with Alzheimer’s, according to a 2019 study by the journal Lancet Neurology.
Scientists have previously identified mutations in three genes that result in the increased production and abnormal accumulation of a protein known as amyloid beta, which is characteristic of Alzheimer’s.
However, these genetic defects occur in only about 10 to 20 per cent of familial cases, meaning that more genes and mechanisms that cause the disease remain unknown, according to the researchers from Capital Medical University’s Xuanwu Hospital in Beijing.
Their new study, published in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Medicine on June 26, found a mutation in a different gene – named ZDHHC21 – that can also cause Alzheimer’s.
