AI detects protein signatures for Alzeihmer's disease in the blood - Advanced Science News

Nanoparticles could make a reliable blood test for Alzheimer's disease a reality; image credit: National Cancer Institute, Daniel Sone Using nanoparticles with different surface properties, researchers are able to detect subtle changes in the composition of proteins in the plasma years before the presentation of clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, which include memory loss, confusion, and cognitive difficulties. Owing to the unique properties of nanoparticles, different proteins in biological fluids selectively stick onto their surface forming a protein corona, which was found to change during disease. Researchers from the United States and Italy identify these subtle changes in plasma protein patterns to distinguish plasma samples from healthy individuals and those diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. "Protein corona composition is both influenced by specific health conditions as well as the chemical and physical properties of the nanoparticles themselves," says Dr. Claudia Corbo of the University of Milano-Bicocca and lead author of the study published in Advanced Healthcare Materials. "Binding of proteins to the surface of particles is very precise and dependent on the chemistry and shape of the particles and the chemistry and structure of the proteins," says senior author Professor Omid Farokhzad of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.