Mr. Whitney, 76, is a scientific unicorn with potential to provide answers about one of the world’s most devastating diseases. He has a rare genetic mutation that essentially guaranteed he would develop Alzheimer’s disease in his late 40s or early 50s and would likely die within a decade.
His mother and nine of her 13 siblings developed Alzheimer’s and died in the prime of their lives. So did his oldest brother, and other relatives going back generations.
“Nobody in history had ever dodged that bullet,” Mr. Whitney said.
But somehow, he has done just that. Something has shielded him from his genetic destiny, allowing him to escape Alzheimer’s for at least 25 years longer than anyone expected.
Now, after years of studying Mr. Whitney, researchers are unearthing clues about his magic combination of genes, molecules and environmental influences.
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Scientists have not yet found Mr. Whitney’s “missing needle in the haystack and said, ‘eureka,’” said Dr. Bateman [a neurologist at Washington University], but they will keep searching. The puzzle that protects Doug Whitney is too valuable not to be solved.
