Researchers have made a potentially significant breakthrough in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Judes Poirier and his team have discovered that a relatively common genetic variant conveys significant protection against Alzheimer’s and can delay the onset of the condition by as much as four years.
The discovery opens new avenues for treatment against Alzheimer’s disease.
Poirier, who is with the Douglas Mental Health Institute and McGill University in Montreal, announced his findings as the annual Alzheimer’s Association International Conference took place in Copenhagen last week.
His team’s large-scale study identified naturally occurring genetic variants that provide protection against the common form of Alzheimer’s disease, with the goal of identifying specific biological processes amenable to pharmaceutical interventions.
“This is an exciting breakthrough in a field where successes have been scarce these past few years,” said Poirier, whose previous research led to the discovery that a genetic variant was formally associated with the common form of Alzheimer’s disease.
Brigitte Kieffer, scientific director of the Research Centre of the Douglas Mental Health Institute, said the latest genetic results from Poirier’s team are an important step forward in understanding Alzheimer’s.
Over the past two decades, research efforts around the globe have focused on identifying genetic and environmental factors responsible for causing or accelerating the progression of Alzheimer’s.
However, little was known about possible protective genetic factors that can delay or even prevent the disease onset.
It is well documented that a subset of older individuals who happen to be carriers of predisposing genetic factors for the common form of Alzheimer’s manage to escape the disease and live long and productive lives without any memory problems until their 90s.
Poirier is internationally renowned for his brain research, and was a pioneer in establishing a particular field used in Alzheimer’s disease therapies.
