Alzheimer’s disease researchers discover gene which could help develop preventative treatments

A BREAKTHROUGH discovery could see genes used to develop preventative treatments for Alzheimer's disease.

Scientists believe the discovery of a gene signature in healthy brains could help identify the origins of the condition and create new treatments.

University of Cambridge academics said preventative treatments could be created for use by at-risk people, well before symptoms appear.

The gene signature  - a group of genes characteristic to a medical condition - discovered in healthy brains echoes the pattern in which Alzheimer's disease spreads in later life.

Rosie Freer, a PhD student in the University of Cambridge's Department of Chemistry and the study's lead author, said: "I hope that these results will help drug discovery efforts - that by illuminating the origins of disease vulnerability, there will be clearer targets for those working to cure Alzheimer's disease."

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Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia. It is a degenerative condition for which there is currently no cure.

Earlier this year the University of Cambridge research team said that "neurostatins" could be taken by healthy individuals to stop or slow the progression of Alzheimer's, similarly to how statins are taken to prevent heart disease.

The creation of a "neurostatin" suitable for human use is still quite some time away, but these results may allow genetically modified mice to be bred with the disease, helping scientists develop new treatments.

The origins of Alzheimer's remains unknown and it is hoped this research may also help scientists discover why certain parts of the breain are more vulnerable than others.

"To answer this question, what we've tried to do is predict disease progression starting from healthy brains," said senior author Professor Michele Vendruscolo of the Centre for Misfolding Diseases at the University of Cambridge's Department of Chemistry.

"If we can predict where and when neuronal damage will occur, then we will understand why certain brain tissues are vulnerable, and get a glimpse at the molecular origins of Alzheimer's disease."

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