The research team developed an MRI probe that pairs a magnetic nanostructure (MNS) with an antibody that seeks out the amyloid beta brain toxins responsible for onset of the disease
A team of Northwestern University scientists and engineers has developed a noninvasive MRI approach that can reportedly detect Alzheimer’s disease in earliest stages of the disease, well before typical symptoms appear.
Led by neuroscientist William L Klein and materials scientist Vinayak P Dravid, the research team developed an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) probe that pairs a magnetic nanostructure (MNS) with an antibody that seeks out the amyloid beta brain toxins responsible for onset of the disease. The accumulated toxins, because of the associated magnetic nanostructures, show up as dark areas in MRI scans of the brain.
“We have a new brain imaging method that can detect the toxin that leads to Alzheimer’s disease,” said Klein. “Using MRI, we can see the toxins attached to neurons in the brain. We expect to use this tool to detect this disease early and to help identify drugs that can effectively eliminate the toxin and improve health,” he added.
With the successful demonstration of the MRI probe, Northwestern researchers now have established the molecular basis for the cause, detection by non-invasive MR imaging and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Details of the new Alzheimer’s disease diagnostic are published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. Klein and Dravid are co-corresponding authors.
“Non-invasive imaging by MRI of amyloid beta oligomers is a giant step forward towards diagnosis of this debilitating disease in its earliest form,” said Dravid, the Abraham Harris Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
“This MRI method could be used to determine how well a new drug is working,” Dravid said. “If a drug is effective, you would expect the amyloid beta signal to
go down.”
In addition to Klein, Dravid and Viola, other authors of the paper are from Northwestern University; Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Brazil; Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy; and North Shore University Health Systems.
EH News Bureau