Molecular Genetic of Alzheimer's Disease

Dear Colleagues,

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, which can be classified as either early onset (under 65 years of age, EOAD), or late onset (over 65 years of age, LOAD) AD according to the age of onset. The discovery of EOAD-associated three genes (APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2) has facilitated the search for genetic factors that influence disease risk in LOAD. The apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 allele has been found to be the most significant genetic risk factor for LOAD.

With the rapid advancement in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and genome-wide association studies (GWAS), more than 20 LOAD risk genes have so far been identified and confirmed, including CLU, CR1, PICALM, SORL1, TREM2, and CD33, for understanding of the diverse AD pathomechanisms and the differential diagnoses of neurodegenerative disorders. However, a substantial proportion of AD heritability remains unexplained. In addition, the majority of the AD genetic association studies were performed using US, Europe, and Oceanian populations. Even though the prevalence of dementia seems to have increased fast in Asia, few studies have investigated genetic factors in Asia.

In this Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, the main topic will be “Molecular Genetics of Alzheimer's Disease”, which is dedicated to research articles and reviews of AD-related genetic studies, including Asian population-based studies. The emphasis will be on novel AD-related genetic variability and AD susceptibilities, the functional role(s) of AD-related genes and their variants to understand the affected pathways and pathogenesis, and valuable tools and insights for diagnosis confirmation, identification of potential pathogenic pathways, and preventive measures.

Prof. Dr. Seong Soo A. An
Prof. Dr. Kwangsik T. Nho
Guest Editor

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