These researchers have made an important discovery in the fight against Alzheimer’s


Researchers from Rouen and Lille have identified genes that would increase the risk of developing this neurodegenerative disease, according to 76 news.





By ThePoint.fr

This discovery “confirms that we are on the right therapeutic track” says Professor Gaël Nicolas. (illustrative image)
 © Thierry Thorel / MAXPPP / PHOTOPQR/VOIX DU NORTH/MAXPPP

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Dhe researchers may well have made a major discovery in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, in particular against the early development of the disease. The team, led by Professor Gaël Nicolas in Rouen (the local university hospital is at the forefront of research in this area) and Doctor Jean-Charles Lambert in Lille, discovered gene variations that may be involved in the development of Alzheimer’s , according to 76 news.

“Two new genes, some rare mutations of which greatly increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease” have been identified by the team, according to Professor Nicolas. Thanks to genetic data taken from more than 30,000 people, 50% suffering from the disease and the other half not, “the researchers were able to establish a map of the rare deleterious variations which potentially modify the biological functions of these proteins”, explains the teacher.

Some of these “rare genetic variations” would lead to a sharp increase in the risk of developing the disease, and even “more markedly in the early forms of the disease”. In all, two genes have been formally identified and a third could soon be confirmed.

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This discovery “confirms that we are on the right therapeutic track”, affirms the Rouen researcher, even if for the moment “it does not change the diagnosis or the treatment. In contrast, “these mutations are one piece of the puzzle that causes disease. (…) This can identify people who have combinations of genetic factors that would induce a risk of developing Alzheimer’s. »

Next step: why these genes cause disease in some, and not in others. And in the future, preventive treatment for people with these genes could be possible. “These are long-term prospects, but we are moving forward step by step”, warns Gaël Nicolas all the same. In France, more than a million people are affected by this disease. More than 200,000 new cases are recorded each year, according to INSERM.


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