02/06/2011

Through the efforts of the international scientific community and several GWAS conducted in other populations, the number of genes that are associated with Alzheimer has recently increased from five to ten, including a new genetic locus located in the MS4A region on chromosome 11. However, until now there weren't complete genome data in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease in Spain. The first results of this kind have been published in the prestigious Genome Medicine. The research has been carried out by a study of genome whole association (GWAS) that has analyzed more than one million genetic markers in 1100 individuals in our population. This research was sponsored by the Foundation Alzheimur and ACE Foundation. Catalan Institute of Applied Neurosciences of Barcelona, that made available for researchs 2,154 samples of its own collection, one of the most important in Europe collected by a single school for a validation program of the mutations identified in the study.Dr. Mercè Boada, medical director of ACE Foundation. Catalan Institute of Applied Neurosciences, and head of research group of Neuroscience / Alzheimer at Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) notes the importance of potential genetic biobank samples from ACE Foundation. "The number of samples and the reliability of clinical data allows us to participate with the major Europeans and Americans genetic research consortia to further investigate the genetics of Alzheimer's disease and achieve successful results as those published recently". Mercè Boada adds that "being recognized as a center of excellence has been the result of rigorous and methodical work, more than 15 years, and focus on close collaboration between researchers, basic and clinical, and other institutions and Neurology Services of Spain".