Alzheimer’s risk gene APOE4 may have a reversible weakness

Mount Sinai researchers have uncovered new details about how APOE4 , the strongest known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, may contribute to brain damage. Two studies published in Cell and Cell Stem Cell show that the gene can damage blood vessels in the brain and encourage the accumulation of abnormal proteins associated with neurodegenerative disease. The findings point to disease processes that may be reversible and also highlight a new human brain tissue platform derived from stem cells that could speed up the search for treatments.