Principal Investigators:
Thomas Wisniewski M.D. and Daniel H. Turnbull Ph.D.

Alzheimer's disease is a widespread progressive dementia affecting a significant fraction of the elderly population. Current estimates indicate that three million Americans and 15 million people worldwide suffer from this brain-destroying condition. While there have been significant advances in research over the last five years, the primary pathology of the disorder remains unknown. The behavioral symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are well known, and include loss of memory and cognitive function.

At the present time, there is no established test for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease typically, a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is made after autopsy. Neither is there a system to quantify the neuropathological changes associated with Alzheimer's disease nor a method to screen and evaluate potential therapies that may inhibit the development of amyloid plaques. In view of the present lack of knowledge about the development and progression of Alzheimer's disease, there is clearly a pressing need for reliable in-vivo non-invasive diagnostic markers of disease and disease progression.

Description of the Project
Researchers at NYU have developed a method for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease by early detection of amyloid plaques in-vivo using magnetic resonance imaging. This method relies on using an Aß-1-40 peptide bound to a contrast agent which, upon injection, binds selectively to Aß. This material is injected systemically with mannitol which acts to transiently open the blood-brain barrier such that pre-Aß deposits and amyloid plaques can be visualized under MRI conditions routinely used clinically.

This technology has been demonstrated in a transgenic mouse model for Alzheimer's disease. Following injection of mice with the contrast agent bound to Aß1-40 and mannitol, MRI detected the presence of both amyloid and pre-amyloid plaques. The injected mice showed good correlation with the corresponding immunohistochemically stained brain sections for amyloid.

Applications:
This technology is useful for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in-vivo at the earliest stage. Once there is an effective therapy for Alzheimer's disease, this technology could be used in combination to monitor the effectiveness of a particular therapy. Thus, this technology permits early detection of amyloid lesions, when they may be most amenable to therapeutic intervention.

Patent Status:
A US patent application has been filed covering this novel technology.

Further information:
Industrial Liaison/Technology Transfer
NYU School of Medicine
650 First Avenue
New York, NY
Tel. (212) 263-8178; Fax (212) 263-8189