MIT researchers make new progress towards understanding Alzheimer’s

MIT researchers have successfully completed the first comprehensive analysis of the genes that are expressed in individual brain cells of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. This advance can pave the way for researchers to understanding Alzheimer's.

From this analysis, researchers were able to identify distinctive cellular pathways that are affected in neurons and other types of brain cells. 

“This study provides, in my view, the very first map for going after all of the molecular processes that are altered in Alzheimer’s disease in every single cell type that we can now reliably characterize,” says Manolis Kellis, a professor of computer science and a member of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, according to Science Blog. “It opens up a completely new era for understanding Alzheimer’s.”

Philanthropist Bill Gates also lauded MIT researchers for this achievement that adds to the progress that the world is making towards understanding Alzheimer's.

I’m excited about the progress we’re making toward understanding Alzheimer’s. For the first time, @MIT researchers have completed an analysis of the genes that are expressed in individual brain cells of Alzheimer’s patients. https://t.co/lluUJ0oC9u

— Bill Gates (@BillGates) June 25, 2019

Researchers found that there are differences in how brain cells of different genders respond to the disease. According to the study, Alzheimer’s patients also have significant disruptions in a process called axon myelination.

Researchers are planning to further study key cellular pathways that they identified as associated with Alzheimer’s in this study and are also planning to study other brain disorders after this achievement.