CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A proof-of-concept study conducted in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease offers new evidence that copper isotopes can be used to detect the amyloid-beta protein deposits that form in the brains of people living with – or at risk of developing – Alzheimer’s.
Several types of isotopes give off positively charged particles called positrons that are detectable by positron emission tomography scanners. The copper isotope used in the study, Cu-64, lasts much longer than the carbon or fluorine isotopes currently approved for use in human subjects, researchers report. Having access to longer-lasting diagnostic agents would make the process of diagnosing Alzheimer’s more accessible to people who live far from major medical centers. Any clinic with a PET scanner could have the agents shipped to it in time to use the compounds in brain scans of patients living nearby.
Read more on the Illinois News Bureau website.
Cho, H. J.; Huynh, T. T.; Rogers, B. E.; Mirica, L. M.;* “Design of a Multivalent Bifunctional Chelator for Diagnostic 64Cu PET Imaging in Alzheimer’s Disease”, PNAS, 2020. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2014058117
