Scientists identify 42 new risk genes associated with Alzheimer’s disease in ‘landmark’ study

‘This piece of work is a major leap forward in our mission to understand Alzheimer’s, and ultimately produce several treatments needed to delay or prevent the disease’

Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, which affects more than 26 million people worldwide (AFP via Getty Images)

Scientists have identified 42 new risk genes associated with Alzheimer’s disease in what is the largest study of its kind.

The findings shed new light on the biological mechanisms at play in Alzheimer’s and raise the prospect of developing treatments for a disease that currently has no cure.

The study, published in the scientific journal Nature Genetics, identified 75 regions of the genome that are linked to Alzheimer’s, including 42 genes never before implicated in the disease.