Genetics

Will there be a day when curing disease is simply a matter of editing your genes? More and more, scientists are looking to the human genome to unlock questions around who develops longterm disease and why, and how best to cure it. At the same time, genetic testing companies have made it easy for anyone to map their own DNA and uncover their risk of developing certain diseases, opening new demand for precision medicine and healthcare. We examine the latest research in the field of genetics, and find out the impact for patients, consumers and the future of medicine.

When Should We Start Taking Drugs to Prevent Alzheimer’s?

March 21st, 2018

It’s no secret that Alzheimer’s drugs aren’t working in clinical trials—potential drugs to treat the disease have a 99.6 percent failure rate. But, according…

Alzheimer's Genetics riskfactors

Genetic Score Determines Alzheimer’s Risk in Middle Age

March 12th, 2018

Decades of research on genetics has revealed some possible reasons for why Alzheimer’s develops in some brains and not others. We know that chances…

Alzheimer's Genetics riskfactors

Can We Detect Who Will Get Alzheimer’s in Childhood?

March 9th, 2018

We know that the greatest risk for Alzheimer’s is age–the older you get, the higher your risk of developing the disease. One in ten…

brainhealth Genetics nutrition riskfactors vascular

High Cholesterol Related to Better Brain Health Past Age 85

March 7th, 2018

There may be something to diets like 96-year-old Betty White’s preference for hotdogs and French fries. In what seems like a finding contrary to…

Alzheimer's betaamyloid Genetics riskfactors

Parent’s Age at Onset May Impact Alzheimer’s Risk

February 28th, 2018

We know that Alzheimer’s is a combination of genetic and environmental factors—having a parent with the disease does not necessarily mean you’ll develop it….

apoe4 Genetics lifestyle

Lifestyle Changes Could Help Prevent Alzheimer’s for the Genetically Predisposed

January 23rd, 2018

Drugs that are prescribed for Alzheimer’s offer patients little respite from the disease, but scientists have now found evidence that suggests non-drug methods could…

cause dementia Genetics

Dementia With Lewy Bodies Has Unique Genetic Profile

January 22nd, 2018

The terms dementia and Alzheimer’s are used interchangeably, but Alzheimer’s is actually just one type of dementia. Dementia is an umbrella term for a…

Podcasts

What is it like to live with Alzheimer’s disease? The Being Patient Podcast gives a rare account of what it’s like to live with Alzheimer’s from the patient’s perspective. The first of an ongoing series, we feature Brian Kursonis. Diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s in his fifties, Brian explains why it took a year to get a diagnosis and how he’s fighting a declining memory.

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