NASHVILLE (WATE/AP) - Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have joined an international project to discover and map all genes relating to Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Jonathan Haines, director of the Vanderbilt Center for Human Genetics Research, said it is a "fantastic opportunity" for the Nashville school to participate in a worldwide effort to understand the mysteries of the disease.
The International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP) will initially compare the genetic data of more than 20,000 Alzheimer's patients with about 20,000 healthy elderly subjects.
The collaborative effort will combine the knowledge, staff and resources of four consortia that work on Alzheimer's disease genetics:
- Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Consortium (ADGC) from the U.S.
- European Alzheimer's Disease Initiative in France
- Genetic and Environmental Risk in Alzheimer's Disease from the United Kingdom
- Neurology subgroup of the Cohorts for Heart and Aging in Genomic Epidemiology
IGAP investigators will begin by comparing genetic data of more than 20,000 Alzheimer's patients with about 20,000 elderly subjects who are healthy.
As the study progresses, 10,000 additional people with Alzheimer's and the same number of healthy elderly subjects will be added to the study.
Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder that is fatal and has no cure.
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