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Updated: Nov 13, 2025
Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System
Published on: December 11, 2016
Systematic identification of risk factors and drug repurposing options for Alzheimer's disease
Chong Wu1, Lang Wu2, Jingshen Wang3
1Department of Statistics Florida State University Tallahassee Florida USA.
Introduction:
Several Mendelian randomization studies have been conducted that identified multiple risk factors for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, they typically focus on a few pre-selected risk factors.
Methods:
A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was used to systematically examine the potential causal associations of 1037 risk factors/medical conditions and 31 drugs with the risk of late-onset AD. To correct for multiple comparisons, the false discovery rate was set at < 0.05.
Results:
There was strong evidence of a causal association between glioma risk, reduced trunk fat-free mass, lower education levels, lower intelligence and a higher risk of AD. For 31 investigated treatments (such as antihypertensive drugs), we found limited evidence for their associations.
Discussion:
MR found robust evidence of causal associations between glioma, trunk fat-free, and AD. Our study also confirms that higher educational attainment and higher intelligence are associated with a reduced risk of AD.
Insights
This study used Mendelian randomization to identify Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk factors. Glioma, reduced trunk fat-free mass, lower education, and intelligence were causally linked to AD risk.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Previous studies identified some Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk factors using Mendelian randomization (MR).
- These studies often focused on a limited selection of pre-determined risk factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically investigate the causal associations of 1037 risk factors and 31 drugs with late-onset Alzheimer's disease risk.
- To expand the scope beyond pre-selected factors in AD etiology research.
Main Methods:
- Employed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) design.
- Analyzed 1037 potential risk factors/medical conditions and 31 drugs for association with Alzheimer's disease.
- Utilized a false discovery rate < 0.05 for multiple comparison correction.
Main Results:
- Found robust evidence for causal links between glioma, reduced trunk fat-free mass, lower educational attainment, and lower intelligence with increased Alzheimer's disease risk.
- Identified limited evidence for associations between the investigated drugs and Alzheimer's disease risk.
Conclusions:
- Confirms causal associations between glioma, trunk fat-free mass, and Alzheimer's disease.
- Reinforces the protective effects of higher educational attainment and intelligence against Alzheimer's disease development.
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