# Oslo team finds 48 new genomic regions linked to Alzheimer's risk in data from 2.8 million people

- Published: 2026-11-05 13:04 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Neurotechnology
- Tags: Alzheimer's risk genes, genome-wide association study, microglia, 48 new genomic regions, common genetic variants, amyloid-beta, University of Oslo, proxy cases, lipid metabolism
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-b69a82e88879ae7997de8bb7_oslo_team_finds/

**A genetic analysis pooling data from 30 research groups points to microglia and certain neuron types. The findings are not yet a clinical tool.**

![Oslo team finds 48 new genomic regions linked to Alzheimer's risk in data from 2.8 million people](https://sgzwpqqelzmajkcubgkl.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/rt-media/2026/11/c4c80920b4a78560.jpg)
*Air Force Staff Sgt. Nicole Leidholm, photographer, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain*

Researchers from the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital have identified 127 regions of human DNA associated with Alzheimer's disease risk. According to the authors, 48 of them were previously unknown, WELT reports. [1] The analysis combined studies by 30 research groups and used genetic data from about 2.8 million people. [1] Of these, 183,620 had Alzheimer's disease and another 74,131 were proxy cases: people who were not ill themselves but had a parent with the disease. [1]

## Cells and processes involved

The genetic signal was strongest in microglia, the immune cells of the nervous system that clear cell debris and other harmful substances. [1] Several genes highlighted in the study are linked to the functions of these cells. [1] The authors also found that genes more active in microglia and less active in some neuron types in Alzheimer's disease are associated with genetic risk. [1]

The team confirmed processes known from earlier work: immune responses, amyloid processing and lipid metabolism. [1] Some of the genes are connected to the microglial response to amyloid-beta. [1] Study author Emil Uffelmann of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam said the results point to biological mechanisms that could serve as therapeutic targets. [1]

## Share of risk explained by common variants

For people of European ancestry, the researchers estimated that common genetic variants statistically explain 16 percent of Alzheimer's risk. [1] Earlier studies using other statistical methods arrived at roughly five to six percent. [1] Uffelmann said this suggests large genetic studies can yield further findings. [1]

The figure does not mean that genes cause 16 percent of an individual's risk, and it cannot yet reliably predict who will fall ill. [1] Other factors also contribute alongside genetic predisposition. [1] According to Uffelmann, improved genetic risk prediction is promising but for now remains a research tool rather than a clinical one. [1]

Edmundo Rodriguez-Frias of Florida, commenting on the work, called the identification of such genes only the first step toward a test or a drug that could benefit patients. [1] The study expands knowledge of which cell types and biological processes may play a role in Alzheimer's disease. Whether it leads to new options for early detection or treatment remains for further research to show. [1]

## Sources

1. [WELT](https://www.welt.de/gesundheit/article6aeaf214748580e4813c36d6/demenz-forscher-entdecken-dutzende-bislang-unbekannte-alzheimer-risikofaktoren.html)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-b69a82e88879ae7997de8bb7_oslo_team_finds/