Discovery of APOE4 as Alzheimer's risk gene (1993)
Researchers at Duke University led by Allen Roses linked the APOE4 gene variant to late-onset Alzheimer's. It became the strongest common genetic risk factor known for the disease.
APOE4 testing and research exploded, reshaping how scientists thought about who gets Alzheimer's and why.
Thirty years on, APOE-targeting drugs and gene therapies are finally in trials, showing how long the path runs from a gene to a treatment.
SORLA's gene, SORL1, is among the top Alzheimer's risk genes after APOE. This new work is an early step on the same long road from genetics to therapy.
