During the past 20 years, genome studies for Alzheimer's disease (AD) have elucidated the pathogenesis of AD including the amyloid hypothesis. However, clinical trials of the disease modifying drugs for AD developed based on the amyloid hypothesis have been largely unsuccessful. New genes associated with AD have been identified through comprehensive genome analyses such as genome-wide association studies and whole genome/exome sequencing using next-generation sequencers. With these efforts, new therapeutic targets to AD have been explored. This review summarizes the genetic make-up of AD in terms of both risk and protective factors from the viewpoint of novel therapeutic targets to AD.