Bio Saga Blog - A Chronicle of Life Sciences & Informatics

Through a complex analysis of protein interactions, researchers from IRB Barcelona and the Joint Programme IRB-BSC have discovered new molecular mechanisms that may be involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The study, a collaboration between bioinformaticians and cell biologists, was led by IRB Barcelona group leader and ICREA researcher Patrick Aloy and appears today in the Genome Research, a reference journal in the field of genomics. Alzheimer’s disease is an age-related neurodegenerative disease. Despite the considerable efforts made in recent years to understand the mechanisms that trigger this disease, an effective treatment is not yet available. This study reveals new molecular and functional data that could help researchers gain a better understanding of the disease and potentially to develop new therapies.  From the computer to the lab  Proteins are the molecular instruments that cells use to carry out their functions. Proteins don’t normally act alone,...

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) have consistently observed strong evidence of association with polymorphisms in   APOE . However, until recently, variants at few other loci with statistically significant associations have replicated across studies. The present study combines data on 483,399 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from a previously reported GWAS of 492 LOAD cases and 496 controls and from an independent set of 439 LOAD cases and 608 controls to strengthen power to identify novel genetic association signals.   Studies looking for genetic variants across the genome that affect late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) have had little success identifying genes other than  APOE . Here, we use an expanded set of AD cases and controls to improve our power to detect genetic variants driving LOAD risk. Analyzing 483,399 genetic variants across the genome in a discovery dataset of 931 cases and 1,104 controls, we found a s...

This Pathways Compendium provides an index of Alzheimer disease pathway models contributed by researchers and companies. Probable Interaction Networks Involved in Pathology of Alzheimer Disease: Predicting Targets and Therapeutic Agents - NetPro™ based Study . Developed by researchers at Molecular Connections Private Limited, an in silico discovery services company. Users can click on a specific node (molecule) to get information on all interactions of the molecule in the given network. Click on the interaction arrows for information on the specific interaction. The Alzheimer Research Forum is a Pioneering Biomedical Web Community . Founded 13 years ago when the Web was still in its infancy, the "Alzforum" has more than 5,000 registered members and is familiar to most Alzheimer scientists in the world. XTractor Premium - A Platform for discovery , knowledge sharing, analysis and modelling of published biomedical facts. The only Knowledgebase which provides "manu...