Novel Chemical Could Detect Changes In Amyloid In Alzheimer's Disease

Scientific breakthrough could lead to a way to prevent and treat Alzheimer's.

"Scientists have developed a new approach to detecting amyloid, a protein in the brain of people with Alzheimer's disease.

In the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, amyloid forms into small clusters. Researchers believe there are a number of forms of the protein with different shapes or arrangements. The new technique uses a new class of biomarkers called luminescent conjugated oligothiophenes (LCOs) or luminescent conjugated polymers (LCPs). They are designed to differentiate between different forms of amyloid, emitting a differently coloured signal depending on the arrangement of the protein. Scientists have tested the technique on brain tissue and found that a different type of amyloid is present in people who have the APOE4 Alzheimer's gene."

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