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The Alzheimer's Gene Carried by Most Humans
A gene variant present in nearly all humans dramatically shapes Alzheimer's risk, and researchers are now exploring whether gene therapy can correct the most dangerous form before symptoms emerge.
Key Takeaways
- APOE4, carried by ~25% of people, raises Alzheimer's risk up to 12x compared to the neutral APOE3 variant
- Gene therapy and base editing approaches aim to convert APOE4 to APOE3 in neurons before symptoms emerge
- A single nucleotide difference between APOE3 and APOE4 makes the correction theoretically achievable with modern base editors
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DT Editorial AI··via livescience.com