Forbes reports that researchers have identified a second gene associated with age-related Alzheimer's disease - this is good news. "Even though truly effective treatments for Alzheimer's remain elusive, identifying genetic factors in the disease should prove crucially important in the not-so-distant future, in both the diagnosis and treatment of the illness. ... It's really a two-pronged attack: First, we find all the genes involved to help identify those at risk, and then, from the other side, we learn from the genes what's going wrong." Modern medical research moves very fast once genes are identified; it usually takes less than a year to understand the biochemistry behind the association.
Link: http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2005/03/02/hscout524291.html