Reviewed by Megan Craig, M.Sc.Sep 15 2023 The National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging recently awarded a $13.
In this project, we will leverage the genetic architecture of MENA Jews and Arab citizens of Israel as well as their distinctive environmental exposures and lifestyles, to promote discovery of AD-related genes and variants. We expect that this project will identify novel targets for development of effective drugs to treat or retard processes leading to AD.
Farrer and Sherva's study will recruit an equal number of people over age 60 who either have AD or are considered cognitively normal and will include 3,000 MENA Jews and 1,000 Arabs, all living in Israel. Participants will have blood samples taken and analyzed for DNA and biomarker studies; undergo clinical and cognitive testing; and provide a medical history and lifestyle information.
Related StoriesThis is a five-year grant, and the research augments the national Alzheimer Disease Sequencing Project, which seeks to understand the genetic architecture of AD and related dementias, and targets diverse populations around the world. Researchers will perform whole genome sequencing using the DNA samples to identify all unique genetic variants and compare genomes of participants with AD to those in the control group to identify variants that confer higher risk as well as those that protect against AD. They will compare those findings with the results of similar studies on other discrete populations.