The study revealed genes and cellular pathways that haven't been linked to Alzheimer's before, including one involved in DNA repair. Identifying new drug targets is critical because many of the Alzheimer's drugs that have been developed to this point haven't been as successful as hoped. Working with researchers at Harvard Medical School, the team used data from humans and fruit flies to identify cellular pathways linked to neurodegeneration. This allowed them to identify additional pathways that may be contributing to the development of Alzheimer's. 'All the evidence that we have indicates that there are many different pathways involved in the progression of Alzheimer's. It is multifactorial, and that may be why it's been so hard to develop effective drugs,' says Ernest Fraenkel, the Grover M. Hermann Professor in Health Sciences and Technology in MIT's Department of Biological Engineering and the senior author of the study. 'We will need some kind of combination of treatments that...
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