A phenomenal step has been taken in Alzheimer's research by gene scientists which will cut the rates of the disease by a fifth.

Two international teams of British and French origin together identified three new genes closely related to this disease.

Neutralizing their effects could prevent almost 100,000 cases of “common” late-onset Alzheimer's annually in the UK.

Professor Julie Williams, who led the British scientists called this path-breaking discovery as "the biggest advance in Alzheimer's research in 15 years".

Rebecca Wood, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Research Trust charity which part-funded the UK-led study said that these findings are a big step ahead for dementia research.

Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia which affects as many as 700,000 people in the UK who suffer from this disease.

The expected number of people to be affected by this disease in less than 20 years is almost 1 million and grow manifolds by 2051.

These three genes are the first to be identified to have a link with common form of Alzheimer's since 1993 when a mutant gene called APOE was found to account for about a quarter of cases.