Personal+Genomics+of+Alzheimer's+Disease+Abstract

The purpose of this project is to explore the predictive genomic testing that has been performed as it relates to the APOE gene and its effect on Alzheimer’s disease risk as well as to evaluate the importance of the test’s predictive value. This was achieved through analysis of review articles, primary articles and the 23andMe genomics website. The direct-to-consumer personal genomics company 23andMe determines the Alzheimer’s disease risk of its consumers using only the APOE variant (23andMe, n.d.). Although APOE is the most studied and best known predictor for AD risk, it is not the only variant associated with the disease, nor can AD be entirely contributed to the APOE ε4 allele. Other factors including epigenetics and environmental influences may also play a role in the development of the disease (Bennett et al, 2015). Due to concerns put forth by the FDA, 23andMe no longer provides most health disease risk data, including results for Alzheimer’s disease (Zettler et al, 2014).

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