Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine, in collaboration with scientists from the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP), have discovered new genes that may contribute to the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The new discovery may lead to the development of precision medicine treatments for degenerative conditions.

The National Institutes of Health developed the ADSP in response to the National Alzheimer’s Project Act, which aims to improve health outcomes and reduce the financial burden for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia and the sixth cause of death in the United States. However, despite the increasing prevalence and increasing costs of the condition, the genetic and environmental factors that make some individuals more susceptible to this disease are still not well understood.

When optimizing the exomes of 6,000 Alzheimer’s patients into 5,000 cognitively healthy older adults, the researchers were able to find differences in genes that they believe may contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Newly discovered genes may indicate an inflammatory response and changes in protein production. Both changes are thought to contribute to the neurodegeneration that occurs in Alzheimer’s disease.

“Studying large, deep genetic sequencing is an important part of identifying differences that may play a role in or protect against Alzheimer’s disease risk,” said Eliezer Maslia, director of the Division of Neuroscience at the National Institute on Aging. Part of the National Institutes of Health.

“Big data efforts like ADSP are really helping to advance research. Identification of rare variants could advance our ability to find new treatment targets and advance precision medicine approaches for Alzheimer’s disease.”

The team stresses that more research will be necessary to find other genes hidden throughout the genome. Scientists currently believe that the onset of Alzheimer’s disease is the result of many genes and their interactions.