Evolution of Detecting Early Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease: From Neuroimaging to Optical Immunoassays

Article type: Review Article

Authors: Hsiao, Wesley Wei-Wen^{a; 1; *} | Angela, Stefanny^{a; 1} | Le, Trong-Nghia^b | Ku, Chia-Chi^c | Hu, Po-Sheng^d | Chiang, Wei-Hung^{a; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. | [b] Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. | [c] Graduate Institute of Immunology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. | [d] College of Photonics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Tainan City, Taiwan, R.O.C.

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Wesley Wei-Wen Hsiao and Wei-Hung Chiang, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, 106, Taiwan, R.O.C. E-mails: weshsiao@mail.ntust.edu.tw and whchiang@mail.ntust.edu.tw.

Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a pathological disorder defined by the symptoms of memory loss and deterioration of cognitive abilities over time. Although the etiology is complex, it is mainly associated with the accumulation of toxic amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) aggregates and tau protein-induced neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs). Even now, creating non-invasive, sensitive, specific, and cost-effective diagnostic methods for AD remains challenging. Over the past few decades, polymers, and nanomaterials (e.g., nanodiamonds, nanogold, quantum dots) have become attractive and practical tools in nanomedicine for diagnosis and treatment. This review focuses on current developments in sensing methods such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) to boost the sensitivity in detecting related biomarkers for AD. In addition, optical analysis platforms such as ELISA and SERS have found increasing popularity among researchers due to their excellent sensitivity and specificity, which may go as low as the femtomolar range. While ELISA offers easy technological usage and high throughput, SERS has the advantages of improved mobility, simple electrical equipment integration, and lower cost. Both portable optical sensing techniques are highly superior in terms of sensitivity, specificity, human application, and practicality, enabling the early identification of AD biomarkers.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid-β , ELISA, nanomaterials, optical analysis platform, polymers, SERS, tau protein

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-221202

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 93, no. 3, pp. 821-845, 2023