Reimagining Alzheimer’s (Part 8): APOE4 Removal Reduces Symptoms Of Alzheimer’s Disease

(Posted on Saturday, March 11, 2023)

This article is the eighth installment in my series on Alzheimer’s disease. Read more about Alzheimer’s disease in part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 , part 5, part 6, and part 7 of the series.

If you are a person who has inherited the APOE4 gene, new research in mice suggests that knocking out the APOE4 gene dramatically reduces the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. The E4 variant of the APOE gene has proven to be the strongest known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s.

The study, published in Nature Aging, shows that when the APOE4 gene is knocked out in mice, typical Alzheimer’s disease symptoms are significantly reduced. The study provides a ray of hope that similar knockouts may eventually be achievable in humans. That day may come sooner than later with the advent of new gene editing technologies.

Read the full article on Forbes.