Measurement of fluorescent probes concentration ratio in the cerebrospinal fluid for early detection of Alzheimer's disease

Osnat Harbater, Israel Gannot

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

The pathogenic process of Alzheimer's Disease (AD), characterized by amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain, begins years before the clinical diagnosis. Here, we suggest a novel method which may detect AD up to nine years earlier than current exams, minimally invasive, with minimal risk, pain and side effects. The method is based on previous reports which relate the concentrations of biomarkers in the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) (Aβ and Tau proteins) to the future development of AD in mild cognitive impairment patients. Our method, which uses fluorescence measurements of the relative concentrations of the CSF biomarkers, replaces the lumbar puncture process required for CSF drawing. The process uses a miniature needle coupled trough an optical fiber to a laser source and a detector. The laser radiation excites fluorescent probes which were prior injected and bond to the CSF biomarkers. Using the ratio between the fluorescence intensities emitted from the two biomarkers, which is correlated to their concentration ratio, the patient's risk of developing AD is estimated. A theoretical model was developed and validated using Monte Carlo simulations, demonstrating the relation between fluorescence emission and biomarker concentration. The method was tested using multi-layered tissue phantoms simulating the epidural fat, the CSF in the sub-arachnoid space and the bone. These phantoms were prepared with different scattering and absorption coefficients, thicknesses and fluorescence concentrations in order to simulate variations in human anatomy and in the needle location. The theoretical and in-vitro results are compared and the method's accuracy is discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationOptical Biopsy XII
PublisherSPIE
ISBN (Print)9780819498533
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014
Externally publishedYes
EventOptical Biopsy XII - San Francisco, CA, United States
Duration: Feb 4 2014Feb 5 2014

Publication series

NameProgress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging - Proceedings of SPIE
Volume8940
ISSN (Print)1605-7422

Conference

ConferenceOptical Biopsy XII
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Francisco, CA
Period2/4/142/5/14

Keywords

  • Alzheimer, concentration measurements
  • CSF
  • Concentration ratio
  • Fluorescence
  • Monte Carlo
  • Optical scattering
  • Phantoms experiments

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • Biomaterials
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging

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