Scientists have discovered new clues about the early signs of Alzheimer’s. Researchers in the Global Neurodegeneration Proteomics Consortium (GNPC) examined proteins in the body that can be used to track neurological diseases.
Their work, published in Nature Medicine, was partly funded by billionaire philanthropist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. He said the discovery could help bring us “closer than ever to the day when a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease stops being a death sentence”. Scientists have known for decades that having two copies of a certain gene-encoding protein, APOE4, increases the risk of Alzheimer’s tenfold, but they were not sure why. However, researchers have now uncovered its role in inflammation and infection response, both of which may contribute to the disease. They also identified blood signatures that can confirm with 99% confidence whether someone has copies of the high-risk APOE4 gene.
Their work also supports the theory that Alzheimer’s is linked to the buildup of certain proteins in the brain (amyloid and tau proteins).
Charles Marshall, a professor of clinical neurology at Queen Mary University of London, said: “This paves the way for drug discovery work that could ultimately lead to new treatments.
“The most immediately exciting part is that the patterns of protein abnormality that predict neurodegenerative diseases reveal new insights into the biology of how these conditions develop.”
Simon Lovestone, global head of discovery and translational research at Johnson & Johnson, said their work will rapidly accelerate research into the field of neurodegeneration.
“The scale and depth of the dataset, combined with harmonised clinical data, make it an extraordinary resource with the potential to transform how we study, detect and treat neurodegenerative diseases,” he said.
The work is part of the Global Neurodegeneration Proteomics Consortium, an initiative set up in 2023. Research institutions are brought together with the backing of Johnson & Johnson and Gates Ventures.
