Understanding a Protein’s Role in Familial Alzheimer’s Disease

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have used genetic engineering of human-induced pluripotent stem cells to parse the roles of a key mutated protein in causing familial Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In the process, they discovered that simple loss-of-function does not contribute to the inherited form of the neurodegenerative disorder. “In some ways, this is a powerful technical demonstration of the promise of stem cells and genomics research in better understanding and ultimately treating AD,” the principal investigator revealed. “We were able to identify and assign precise limits on how a mutation works in familial AD.” Click here to read the full article.