Scientists Find a New Layer of Alzheimer's Disease Hidden in the Genome
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Washington found that the 3D folding of DNA is disrupted in brain cells affected by Alzheimer's disease, changing how key genes switch on and off. Published in the journal Science, the discovery adds a new layer beyond the classic amyloid plaques and tau tangles for a disease that already affects seven million Americans.
A new study published in the journal Science, led by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and the University of Washington, has found that the three-dimensional folding of DNA is organized differently in brain cells from people with Alzheimer's disease. Using a technique called GAGE-seq and a new AI model called Hicformer, the team linked this genome reorganization, a pattern they call increased compartment mingling, to weaker neuron and synapse activity and to changes in the brain's immune cells. The researchers frame the finding as a new layer of Alzheimer's biology alongside the classic amyloid plaques and tau tangles, and as a framework for future research into potential treatment targets, not a treatment itself. Alzheimer's disease currently affects seven million Americans, a number the researchers say continues to grow.