Alzheimers Test and Possible Cure Developed by a Teenager

Do we have a 15 year old Alexander Fleming?

The terror of Alzheimer’s disease is that no symptoms are evident until extensive damage has already been done to the brain. It is a chronic neurodegenterative disease and the first symptoms often involve forgetfulness and poor short term memory. Diagnosis, in the living, currently relies on cognitive tests, brain imaging and blood tests to rule out other possible causes.

The work reported here proposes a simple non-invasive test using an antibody that binds to the damaged nerve matter in the brain. The antibody can be injected into the blood stream and cross any membranes to the affected areas. Attached to the antibody is a fluorescent nano-particle which can be seen on a scanner.

It is possible that this could detect Alzheimer’s a good 10 years ahead of any overt symptoms. There is also the possibility that the binding process may be able to stop or slow the progress of the disease.

Check this excerpt:

A 15-year-old British boy has developed a potential test for Alzheimer’s disease which could allow the condition to be diagnosed 10 years before the first symptoms appear.

Currently Alzheimer’s can only be detected through a series of cognitive tests or by looking at the brain after death.

But Krtin Nithiyanandam, of Epsom, Surrey, has developed a ‘trojan horse’ antibody which can penetrate the brain and attach to neurotoxic proteins which are present in the very first stages of the disease.

The antibodies, which would be injected into the bloodstream are also attached to fluorescent particles which can then be picked up on a brain scan.

Krtin submitted his test to the Google Science Fair Prize and learned that he had made it through to the final last week. He will find out next month if he has won a prestigious scholarship and mentoring to take his idea further.

Read the complete article by Sarah Knapton in The Telegraph.