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New Retinal Imaging System May be Used to Detect an Alzheimer’s Biomarker

Adam Wax | Via Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News | May 15, 2020

Biomedical engineers at Duke University say they have devised a new imaging device capable of measuring both the thickness and texture of the various layers of the retina at the back of the eye. The advance could be used to detect a biomarker of Alzheimer’s disease, potentially offering a widespread early warning system for the disease, according to the team which published its study “Multimodal Coherent Imaging of Retinal Biomarkers of Alzheimer’s Disease in a Mouse Model” in Scientific Reports.

“We acquired depth-resolved light scattering measurements from the retinas of triple transgenic Alzheimer’s Disease (3xTg-AD) mice and wild type (WT) age-matched controls using co-registered angle-resolved low-coherence interferometry (a/LCI) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Angle-resolved light scattering measurements were acquired from the nerve fiber layer, outer plexiform layer, and retinal pigmented epithelium using image guidance and segmented thicknesses provided by co-registered OCT B-scans. Analysis of the OCT images showed a statistically significant thinning of the nerve fiber layer in AD mouse retinas compared to WT controls. The a/LCI scattering measurements provided complementary information that distinguishes AD mice by quantitatively characterizing tissue heterogeneity,” write the investigators… Continue reading.

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