New AD in Sephardi Jews Study Launches
A new study funded by a grant of more than $13 million from the US National Institutes of Health will look into possible genetic reasons why Sephardic Jews are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at younger ages than other people.
The project officially launched on May 5 as representatives of partner institutions met at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva. Aside from Beilinson, the research consortium includes Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, Laniado Hospital in Netanya, and Prof. Lindsay A. Farrer from Boston University School of Medicine.
This new research builds on a peer-reviewed study conducted at Beilinson and published in 2018 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. It showed a disparity between the prevalence of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (EOAD) in Sephardi versus Ashkenazi Jews.