Identification of Novel gene for Alzheimer's disease in women
In a new study published this week in Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, researchers at the University of Chicago and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have identified a new gene called MGMT that increases the risk of Alzheimer's in women.
The researchers conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for Alzheimer's in two independent datasets using different methods. One approach focused on dementia in a large extended family of Hutterites, a founder population of central European ancestry who settled in the mid-west region of the country. Hutterites are often studied for genetic determinants of disease because they have a relatively small gene pool due to their isolated, insular culture. In this study, the individuals with Alzheimer's were all women. The second approach, predicated on evidence suggesting a link between Alzheimer's and breast cancer, analyzed genetic data from a national group of 10,340 women who lacked APOE ε4. In both datasets, MGMT was significantly associated with developing AD.
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