Discovering Roots Alzheimer.

A new discovery in wise labs that three known genes play important roles in determining the risk that someone will develop Alzheimer's disease in a finding that could lead to new treatments and a possible early test for one of the most feared disorders of later life. It is the first time in 15 years that researchers have identified new genetic factors that raise someone's risk of getting the degenerative brain disease. The breakthrough means that a total of four genes are now known to contribute to Alzheimer's. Scientists hope that further genetic discoveries could soon lead to a diagnostic test that can provide a meaningful assessment of whether someone is likely to develop the condition.

Such a test would help doctors to identify patients at greatest risk of the disease, although it might also be seized upon by insurance companies and other organizations concerned about the cost of long-term health care in old age. "If we were able to remove the detrimental effects of these genes through treatments, we could reduce the proportion of people developing Alzheimer's by 20pc," Prof Williams said. "In the UK alone this would prevent just under 100,000 people developing the disease."

The three new genes implicated in Alzheimer's are called CLU, PICALM and CR1. They are the first genes linked to the disease since the discovery 15 years ago of the role of the APOE gene in raising the risk of Alzheimer's."Three of the risk genes, APOE, CLU and CR1, have roles in protecting the brain from damage. Perhaps the changes we see in these genes remove this protection or may even turn them into killers," Prof Williams said. "Our results may highlight new targets for treatments. For example, CLU has a role in dampening down inflammation in the brain. "Up until now, increased inflammation seen in the brains of Alzheimer's sufferers had been viewed as a secondary effect of disease," she said. "These results suggest the possibility that inflammation may be primary to disease development."