Scientists Discover 16 New Genes Linked to Alzheimer’s

The latest genome-wide study spanning multiple ancestries offers promising advancements in predicting Alzheimer’s disease risk and identifying potential treatment targets.

Researchers from Mass General Brigham have conducted a multi-ancestry whole-genome sequencing study on Alzheimer’s disease, identifying 16 new susceptibility genes. Their findings contribute to expanding Alzheimer’s research in underrepresented populations. The study is published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

Co-led by Julian Daniel Sunday Willett, MD, PhD, and Mohammad Waqas from the Genetics and Aging Research Unit and the McCance Center for Brain Health at Massachusetts General Hospital (a founding member of Mass General Brigham), the study analyzed whole-genome sequencing data from 49,149 individuals.

The study included 12,074 participants who were clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and 37,075 diagnosed due to their family history. Participants were from multiple public databases and nearly half were of non-European ancestry. Researchers found 16 novel Alzheimer’s disease-associated genetic signals, highlighting the importance of studying diverse populations.

Future Research and Implications

Next, according to co-senior author Dmitry Prokopenko, PhD, the team plans to analyze additional sets of whole genome sequencing data, with a double increase of the sample size, including a gene-based rare variant analysis. They also plan to combine the signals of rare variants within genes.

“We were pleasantly surprised to have made this discovery by expanding genetic analyses beyond populations of European ancestry to more diverse populations,” said co-senior author Rudolph Tanzi, PhD, director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit, the McCance Center for Brain Health, and co-director of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease at Massachusetts General Hospital. “We hope this will lead to more accurate predictions of Alzheimer’s disease risk and to new pharmacological and biological targets for treatment and prevention in populations with various ancestries.”

Reference: “Identification of 16 novel Alzheimer’s disease loci using multi-ancestry meta-analyses” by Julian Daniel Sunday Willett, Mohammad Waqas, Younjung Choi, Tiffany Ngai, Kristina Mullin, Rudolph E. Tanzi and Dmitry Prokopenko, 25 February 2025, Alzheimer’s & Dementia.