New 'nanoscope' to help early detection of Alzheimer's

IRISH RESEARCHERS are leading a €5.4 million international effort to develop a “nanoscope” that will be able to study brain tissues without surgery or damage. They hope to be able to use the nanoscope in the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr Syed Tofail (right) of the University of Limerick’s Materials and Surface Science Institute is the lead scientist on the project, which involves 11 research centres in Belgium, Germany, Romania, Italy and France. An estimated 44,000 people in Ireland have Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia and the numbers of people with the condition worldwide are rising.

It is easy to diagnose Alzheimer’s given the accumulation of Alzheimer’s- related plaques that build up on brain tissues, but unfortunately only on autopsy. There are currently no imaging technologies available to help in the early diagnosis of the condition.

Dr Tofail and colleagues hope to change all this by developing a new imaging system that uses infra-red radiation and allows researchers to see how it interacts with tissues in the brain. It will allow them to look into deep brain tissues without causing damage to tissues at the surface. The researchers believe it will deliver a very fine detailed view, given it should be able to see objects the size of a single virus particle.

Researchers will use it to scan for early signs of Alzheimer’s plaques, allowing doctors to intervene early in the development of the condition, long before the patient begins to show symptoms, according to Dr Tofail. The partners include six companies including Limerick-based NT-MDT, given the nanoscope could be used in a range of applications not just medicine.