Rare gene mutation prevents Alzheimer’s

Researchers discovered a mutation that prevents Alzheimer’s disease, a devastating brain disorder that effectively erases memory and identity.  Announced Wednesday, the protective mutation is very rare and slows down the production of beta amyloid in the brain, protecting the brain from Alzheimer’s. It bolsters the theory that excess beta amyloid causes Alzheimer’s and brings renewed hope to drug companies’ efforts to create a cure, none of which have been successful so far. The discovery’s implication for drug development “is hugely important,” said Dr. David Altshuler, a genomics expert at Harvard Medical School.  

Read more on the New York Times and the original announcement in Nature