Grant funding awarded for ‘omics prediction of Alzheimer's disease
September 2017: Alzheimer’s Research UK announce further funding for dementia research.
Dr Riccardo Marioni from the Centre for Genomic & Experimental Medicine (CGEM), within the University of Edinburgh’s IGMM, has been awarded over £166K by Alzheimer’s Research UK to research the onset and genetic causes of Alzheimer's disease.
Dr Marioni will apply novel, complex computational and statistical methods to the vast amounts of genomic data already in existence, to improve our ability to more accurately identify individuals who are at the greatest risk of developing Alzheimer’s. By combining genomic information with genetic and epigenetic data, he also hopes to identify specific genes with the potential to cause Alzheimer's, which could in future be developed as targets for therapeutic treatment.
We hope that the findings of this research will feed directly into participant selection for clinical trials
One of the most feared aspect of ageing is memory loss leading to dementia. Alzheimer’s often develops slowly over several years and in the early stages it is not always obvious, as symptoms can be subtle. As the neurological hallmarks of dementia start to accumulate in mid-life, this leads to the symptoms becoming more obvious in later-life, but by this time, it may already be too late for interventions. It is therefore critical that individuals at high risk are identified as early as possible to provide them with the best support and treatments available.
Glossary:
Genomics (the study of multiple genes and their interactions)
Genetics (detailed study of individual genes)
Epigenetics (non-genetic factors that modify gene activity and can switch genes on or off)