Light at the end of the tunnel in search for Alzheimer's cure

Published on Friday 22 April 2011 17:37

A NEW technique which uses light to scan for early signs of Alzheimer's could help lead to new treatments for the disease.

The technology developed by scientists at the University of Strathclyde uses light to trace peptides - amino acids associated with the condition.

Researchers say the method could be an important tool in diagnosing the disease, which according to figures from Alzheimer's Scotland affects around 65,000 people in Scotland, almost half of them undiagnosed.

Researchers map clusters of peptides in the brain by flooding them with light. Areas where peptides are gathered emit a florescence which can be measured, providing a road map of potentially damaged areas of the brain.

Dr Olaf Rolinski, of the University of Strathclyde's department of physics, said: "Alzheimer's Disease has a devastating impact on sufferers, and their families, but one of the reasons it is still incurable is that little is known about how and why the peptide, that contributes to the disease, aggregates in its initial stages."

Scientists at the University say their technique uses the ratio of detected fluorescence signals to detect when clusters of peptide associated with the disease are beginning to gather.

Dr Rolinski added "When irradiated with light, the intrinsic fluorescence given off by the peptide is like a communication from a spy.

"We took samples of the peptide and discovered that, where they were in the type of aggregation linked to Alzheimer's, they produced fluorescence light signals which could be picked up with our technique much earlier than in more conventional experiments, such as those that use the addition of a dye.

"This approach could help us understand better the role of these peptides in the onset of Alzheimer's and discover ways in which the disease could be stopped in its tracks early on.

"We now want to take the research further so that it can be used in the development of drugs to treat Alzheimer's."

A spokesperson for the Alzheimer's Society said: "The number of people living in the UK with Alzheimer's is expected to rise to about a million in the next ten years which means new research is more important than ever.

"One exciting area of study has been to look for new ways to recognise the condition and to treat it early. There is also encouraging work being done on a vaccine to prevent Alzheimer's.

"New areas of research are always exciting however research in the UK is currently desperately underfunded.

"The UK spends eight times less on researching Alzheimer's than it does on cancer research."