DOCTOR’S NOTE

A gene mutation that raises the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 50 per cent has been identified by scientists.

The link, made by a US research team, offers hope of a screening programme and the possibility of developing effective drug treatments.

The brain scans of 18,330 members of the UK Biobank, which contains genetic and health data from half a million people, found one in four of those of European ancestry is a carrier of the variant.

This mutation produces a microprotein called the SHMOOSE peptide – and this molecule affects neurons, information messengers, that control memory, emotions and behaviour. Senior author Professor Pinchas Cohen, from the University of Southern California, said: “This discovery opens exciting directions for developing precision medicine-based therapies for Alzheimer’s.

“Administration of SHMOOSE in individuals who produce the mutant protein may prove to have benefit in neurodegenerative and other diseases of ageing.”