Alzheimer’s therapies should target a particular gene, researchers say

Researchers at UCL are advocating for new Alzheimer's therapies that target the Apoe gene, arguing that neutralizing its harmful variants could prevent a significant number of cases. This call to action comes as existing Alzheimer's drugs, which remove toxic brain proteins, offer only minor benefits and have faced regulatory hurdles. The UCL team analyzed medical records of over 450,000 people, finding that Apoe3 and Apoe4 variants significantly increase Alzheimer's risk compared to Apoe2. Their research, published in npj Dementia, suggests that eliminating the detrimental effects of Apoe3 and 4 could prevent 72% to 93% of Alzheimer's cases and about 45% of all dementia worldwide. The scientists believe focusing on Apoe is a crucial step in developing more effective preventative treatments for Alzheimer's disease.

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