Skin biopsy could detect Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s

University of San Luis Potosi‘s Ildefonso Rodriguez-Leyva is developing  a skin test for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases that detects elevated levels of characteristic proteins.  Based on the hypothesis that that skin is essentially the same as brain tissue, originating from the same source during fetal development, the test might identify biomarkers to help diagnose the diseases early.

Skin samples were taken from 16 people with Parkinson’s disease, 20 with Alzheimer’s disease and 17 with other forms of dementia. Biopsies were also taken from 12 healthy subjects in the same age group.  The samples were tested for abnormal proteins and showed that Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s sufferers had seven times more tau protein than the healthy group.  The Parkinson’s subjects also had eight times more alpha-synuclein protein than the control group.

Wearable Tech + Digital Health NYC 2015 – June 30 @ New York Academy of Sciences


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