Alzheimer’s Findings Offer New Direction on Treatment

In separate probes into the roots of Alzheimer’s, scientists have uncovered a rare gene mutation that keeps plaque from forming in the brain and found the disease may take hold 25 years before symptoms appear.

The DNA variant slows production of an enzyme called beta secretase-1 that helps form the hallmark brain tangles. The finding, reported in the journal Nature, supports the validity of drugs being developed by Merck & Co., Eli Lilly & Co. and other companies designed to slow release of the enzyme, said Kari Stefansson, a report author.