Canterbury University researchers are using human tears to develop a world first rapid home test for the detection of Alzheimer’s disease.
Experts in engineering, chemistry and biology are working on the project that could be life changing for those in the very early stages of the disease. The aim is to create portable, easy-to-use devices that can be used on-site without needing expensive labs or long processing times.
Lead researcher Professor Renwick Dobson, from Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury, said the technology could generate up to $371 million a year for New Zealand companies.
The tests were conducted with a chip that’s been five years in development. The researchers likened it to a tiny smart device.
Dobson said: “They’re not simple in design but, once that’s done, we can manufacture really cheaply.”
Work was underway to use the chip technology for rapid health testing, specifically diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease “We’ll have a really easy test that people can do in their homes and early detection of Alzheimer’s.”
The chip could analyse human tears to detect any molecular changes and bio chemistry researcher Vanessa Morris said the results could quickly “provide a window into what’s happening in the brain”.
The existing test for Alzheimer’s required spinal fluid in an expensive and invasive procedure. Alzheimer’s New Zealand was welcoming the news of a simpler method being developed — especially as only 50% of people with Alzheimer’s received an official diagnosis.
Alzheimer’s NZ chief executive Catherine Hall said: “Dementia is a very difficult thing to diagnose. At the moment, there isn’t an easy, simple safe test to say if you have dementia or not.”
The test could be used for early detection and screening too. Morris said: “These protein changes are taking place not only when someone has symptoms but sometimes 5, 10, 15 years before they get a formal diagnosis.”
Earlier detection meant people would be able to get treatment at the onset, when it was most useful.
The chip had potential reaching far beyond the excitement it was generating in Alzheimer’s research too.
Dobson said it could make it possible for people to get accurate results quickly in all sorts of tests, “whether it’s checking for early signs of Alzheimer’s disease; carrying out roadside drug testing; or monitoring fermentation in winemaking.”
“The idea of the chip and working with winemakers is, we can test for stuck ferments and other accolytes in just five minutes.”
However, Dobson added: “The hope is that companies pick it up all over the world that people everywhere will be able to test for Alzheimer’s.”
