• On Good Things Utah this morning – A research team from Brigham Young University just conducted a study on the gene associated with Alzheimer’s Disease and they’ve discovered that it’s prevalence is four times higher in Pacific Islanders.
    • Justina Tavana, a BYU PhD student and Perry Ridge, a BYU Professor, joined us this morning to tell us about the study’s groundbreaking findings. So far, as part of the study, they’ve collected over 700 DNA samples from Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and examined them for the APOE ε4 gene, which is known to increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s in Caucasians. They found that 25% of their sample had the APOE ε4 allele, a far higher rate than any other group. For comparison, the frequency among African Americans is about 12% and among European Americans, 6%.
      • BYU has partnered with the Natives Engaged in Alzheimer’s Research project, a $14.6-million endeavor to expand research and treatment on Alzheimer’s and dementia. What researchers are hoping to do is to build a big enough cohort that they can identify things that are specific to these different races and ethnic groups. So they can ultimately find treatments and make sure they are effective across all different races and ethnicities.
      • Tavana says this is groundbreaking for her Polynesian community and possibly the first step to figuring out what more they can do. Diabetes is prevalent in her community and so are several risk factors that can be treated and prevented.
      • If you would like to know more about this study, you can send an email here: alzheimers@byu.edu