Scientists at the Boston University School of Medicine have identified a significant genetic factor linked to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in African Americans. Their research, published on January 1, 2026, reveals that the gene ADAMTS2 shows markedly higher activity in individuals with Alzheimer’s compared to those without the disease. This finding suggests a potential common biological pathway for Alzheimer’s that transcends racial boundaries.
The study analyzed brain tissue from over 200 donors, specifically focusing on African Americans, a group that experiences Alzheimer’s at approximately twice the rate of their White counterparts in the United States. Researchers note that this disparity is influenced by various social and structural factors, including unequal healthcare access, educational disparities, and biases in cognitive testing methods. Additionally, higher prevalence rates of conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes among African Americans contribute to their increased risk for Alzheimer’s.
Groundbreaking Research on Gene Expression
In what is now the largest study examining gene expression in Alzheimer’s among African American donors, the research team identified numerous genes that exhibited differential behavior in individuals with the disease. Notably, the expression of the ADAMTS2 gene was found to be 1.5 times higher in brain tissue from individuals with confirmed Alzheimer’s compared to those without.
The study involved post-mortem analysis of prefrontal cortex tissue from 207 African American donors, comprising 125 individuals with autopsy-confirmed Alzheimer’s and 82 controls. These samples were sourced from 14 National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Alzheimer’s Research Centers across the United States. The researchers emphasized the significance of their findings, with ADAMTS2 emerging as the most prominently expressed gene in this cohort.
Moreover, the same gene was highlighted in an independent study comparing brain tissue from a larger group of White individuals. This study, conducted by the same research team, examined individuals with confirmed Alzheimer’s pathology who exhibited clinical symptoms prior to death against those who remained cognitively resilient.
Implications for Future Research and Treatment
Dr. Lindsay A. Farrer, chief of biomedical genetics at Boston University and corresponding author of the study, remarked, “To our knowledge, this is the first time in similarly designed Alzheimer’s genetics studies that the most significant finding was the same in both White and African American populations.” This indicates a shared biological process influencing Alzheimer’s risk across different racial groups.
The findings underscore a crucial advancement in understanding the genetic underpinnings of Alzheimer’s disease risk among African Americans. Previous studies have indicated that known Alzheimer’s risk variants often differ across populations, suggesting that the overlap of genetic associations is limited. Dr. Farrer noted, “The expression of ADAMTS2 being significantly higher in brain tissue from both Whites and Blacks with Alzheimer’s not only points to a shared biological process but also heightens the importance of further research into this gene as a potential therapeutic target.”
These findings have been published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. The research received substantial support from various NIH grants, including R01-AG048927 and U01-AG058654, among others. The study’s authors disclosed funding sources but clarified that these had no influence on the study’s design, execution, or publication decisions.
This research marks a pivotal step toward developing more effective treatment strategies for Alzheimer’s disease, particularly for populations disproportionately affected by the condition. As the scientific community continues to unravel the complexities of Alzheimer’s, the insights gained from this study could lead to breakthroughs in understanding and potentially mitigating the impacts of this devastating disease.
