New Platforms for Early and Rapid Alzheimer's disease diagnosis

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating condition common among elderly people characterized by a progressive and slow brain degradation that may take decades to complete. This disease currently affects over 36 million people and mainly due to population aging, projections indicate that in 25 years this number will triple - resulting in very high cost to health systems. Although the causes and development of Alzheimer's disease are not well elucidated, it is estimated that the condition has a long asymptomatic period that may last 5 to 10 years. The diagnosis in the preclinical phase is important so that the disease can be treated in advance, slowing its progress. Furthermore, the identification of an increased number of patients in asymptomatic phases provides a larger amount of data for the study of the disease's development, auxiliating in the search for treatments or cures. Currently Alzheimer's diagnosis is complex and it is accomplished by a set of cognitive testing, neuroimaging techniques and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). These require very specialized equipment and researchers, and are, therefore, expensive. Recently, several blood biomarkers for the development of Alzheimer's disease were identified, enabling the low cost diagnosis on initial stages of the condition. The main ones are: prostate specific antigen complexed with inhibitor of serine ±1-antichymotrypsin protease, fetuin B, clusterin and the precursor of pancreatic hormone. These were significantly related to the diagnosis of disease, decreased brain volume and the rate of decline of cognitive functions and can be used for early diagnosis. In this project we propose the development of biosensors for the detection and quantification of a set of biomarkers for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease based on the use of nanostructured platforms and the investigation of the relationship between the concentrations of these markers with the state of health of patients. This study may provide possibly the diagnosis through simpler, cheaper and faster devices. We hope we can diagnose a larger number of patients, allowing treatment and counseling these early, and allow further study of the mechanism of disease - thus assisting in the development of treatments and even a cure.