News and Events
Queen’s medical breakthrough credited by Time magazine
Professor Peter Passmore
Time magazine rated the discovery of two genes which may contribute to the memory-losing disorder at number nine in their annual list of medical breakthroughs.
Contributing to this research, academics from the Centre for Public Health at Queen’s were involved with the Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) as part of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust Genetic Consortium in the largest-ever study of its kind into the illness.
The international study, which received major funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC), is a significant step forward in understanding how Alzheimer’s develops and opens up new areas for further research into potential treatment and genetic screening.
Results from the research, which involved analysing the DNA from over 16,000 people over two years, show the genes CLU and PICALM can play a direct role in the risk of developing Sporadic Late Onset Alzheimer’s disease. Until now only one gene, APOE4, had been clearly identified as a potential risk factor.
Queen's Professor Peter Passmore and his colleagues Dr David Craig, Dr Bernadette McGuinness and Dr Stephen Todd, were involved in the study and were all co-authors on a Nature Genetics paper revealing the findings. Professor Passmore was a co-applicant on the initial grant from the Wellcome Trust.
He said: “Over the past 15 years the team at Queen’s has been involved in a significant amount of groundbreaking research into dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
“This has led to the assembly of a significant database of genetic material which is much sought after for national and international collaborative efforts to study the genetic aspects of Alzheimer’s disease in particular. Queen’s plays a very significant role in this consortium and is intrinsically involved in proposed follow up studies.
“The results of this study will now help focus the future directions of research into Alzheimer’s disease.
“We are delighted that work we have contributed to has been featured in a global news magazine.”
The Medical Research Council invested £1.74 million in the programme of research, alongside funding of £1.3m from the Wellcome Trust. There was also financial support from the Welsh Assembly Government and the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, among others.
The research also involved scientists from universities in London, Cambridge, Nottingham, Southampton, Manchester, Oxford, Bristol and Wales, who collaborated with German, Belgian, Greek and American institutions.
