One Gene May Stymie Promising Alzheimer’s Drugs

Updated September 9, 2019

Research by Kinga Szigeti, MD, PhD, associate professor of neurology and director of UB’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center, shows that a gene that three in four people have is the key reason that Alzheimer’s drugs that show promise in animal studies failed in human trials, and that people with Alzheimer’s who receive more individualized treatments may have more success. “Since this human fusion gene was not present in the animal models and screening systems used to identify drugs, 75 percent of Alzheimer's patients who do carry this gene are less likely to benefit and therefore are at a disadvantage,” she said.