If the suspicion of Alzheimer’s disease creeps up, those affected must prepare themselves for lengthy and complex procedures until the case is clear. A team from Empa and the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen is now in the process of developing a blood test that will enable a reliable diagnosis using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The researchers have recently published their first results of a successful pilot study in the journal Science Advances.
A deep look into the molecular universe
In the beginning, physicist Peter Nirmalraj wanted to understand the molecular pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s in order to enable new approaches in diagnostics and therapy. One step further would be to decipher the exact role of beta-amyloid peptides and tau proteins associated with the neurodegenerative disease. Nirmalraj therefore set out not only to detect the mere presence of the suspicious proteins,…
