Skip to main content

Part of The University of Texas System

UT Health San AntonioUT Health San Antonio

Part of the University of Texas System

Large Alzheimer’s study discovers 5 new genes of risk

Time & Date

Monday, March 4, 2019

Large Alzheimer’s study discovers 5 new genes of risk


An international team of researchers — including faculty of UT Health San Antonio — analyzed information from more than 94,000 individuals to arrive at new findings about the underlying causes of Alzheimer’s disease, including five new genes that increase Alzheimer’s risk.

The meta-analysis, which combines and reevaluates data collected by four consortia that make up the International Genomic Alzheimer’s Project (IGAP), appeared in the journal Nature Genetics on Feb. 28.

“I am very grateful to the neurology working group in the CHARGE consortium, which is one of the four pillars of IGAP,” said Sudha Seshadri, M.D., professor of neurology at UT Health San Antonio and founding director of the university’s Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases. “I am the principal investigator of this group that includes large NHLBI [National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute] studies: the Framingham Heart Study, the Cardiovascular Health Study and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, as well as large European groups such as the Rotterdam Study and Fundacio ACE in Barcelona, Spain. Colleagues from all these groups were in San Antonio this week for the South Texas Alzheimer’s Conference.”

This unprecedented project, funded in part by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and other components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), scrutinized more genetic data than any other study of Alzheimer’s disease to date. Collaborative data sharing enabled the scientists to discover five novel genetic variants or changes that influence the risk for Alzheimer disease.

Read more about the study

The post Large Alzheimer’s study discovers 5 new genes of risk appeared first on UT Health San Antonio.


Share this news item
Map image of UT Health San Antonio location

UT Health San Antonio

7703 Floyd Curl Drive
San Antonio, TX 78229

210-567-7000

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linked In
  • Instagram
  • Contact us
  • Maps & directions
  • Job openings

We make lives better ®

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, also called UT Health San Antonio, is a leading academic health center with a mission to make lives better through excellence in advanced academics, life-saving research and comprehensive clinical care including health, dental and cancer services.

Web Privacy | Links from websites affiliated with UT Health's website (uthscsa.edu) to other websites do not constitute or imply university endorsement of those sites, their content, or products and services associated with those sites. The content on this website is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Health information on this site is not meant to be used to diagnose or treat conditions. Consult a health care provider if you are in need of treatment.