Gene combo dramatically increases risk of Alzheimer's

New work at the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Phoenix has revealed that a copy of the APOE4 gene variant quadruples a person's chances of developing late-onset Alzheimer's. Couple that with the GAB2 variant and the chance of developing the disease rises to 16 times the average risk factor. The scientists believe that the combination of the two spurs the development of one of the proteins that afflicts the brains of people with Alzheimer's. In their work, the scientists screened the DNA of 1400 people, half of whom had the disease.

- here's the report from China Post

ALSO: The latest worldwide estimate of Alzheimer's prevalence shows that 26.6 million people were living with the disease in 2006. That number is expected to quadruple by 2050. Report

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