UAlbany's early Alzheimer’s screening tool shows promising results

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new Alzheimer's drug that aims to delay the progression of the disease. The new treatment is encouraging news for the 7 million patients affected by the brain disorder, which slowly destroys a person's memory and thinking skills. It is most effective when used in the early stages of the disease. To help with early detection, researchers at University of Albany have been working to develop a new screening tool.

Inside the lab named for Igor Lednev, researchers are hard at work on a device that could one day change how Alzheimer's is diagnosed. A chemical physicist by training, Lednev came up with a new technique using a laser based screening tool and a giant microscope.

"Doctors need to know for sure that a patient has Alzheimer's disease," Lednev explained.

Using Raman spectroscopy, his team of researchers can take human tissue samples, sometimes smaller than a rain drop, and shine a laser focused light to measure how energy particles move around and change.

Lednev explained, "We get information about total composition of the sample. If you know bio chemistry composition, then you know everything about the sample."

The data collected is stored into a computer, and with the help of artificial intelligence, they can better sift through the information and look for known biomarkers for medical diagnostic purposes, like detecting Alzheimer's disease.

His technique has already been patented and received federal grants through National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. "I believe this is huge, especially because of development of this new treatment," Lednev said.

The newest drug from Eli Lilly that was approved by the FDA slows the progression of the disease, especially when caught early. "It gives patients more time," Lednev added.

His innovative diagnostic tool still has a long road before clinical trials as he looks at further testing and getting more data to verify the method. "If we have funding, I believe we can do it in a year," Lednev said.

According to Lednev, his analytical technique with Raman spectroscopy has received grants for $300,000 from both NIH and NSF. This fall, they'll be submitting applications for phase two of his research. Consideration for phase two could take a year.