Telomeres are structures that protect the end of our chromosomes. 3D Signatures have researched the 3D arrangement of telomeres in healthy and diseased cells, with a view to developing diagnostic technologies. They have investigated telomere arrangements in a variety of cancers and in Alzheimer’s disease.
The study involved taking cheek swabs from 44 healthy volunteers and 44 patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The technology could distinguish between the healthy and Alzheimer’s samples and classify the disease severity of the of those with the affliction. A cheek swab is a non-invasive method to obtain a diagnosis. This is important, as currently Alzheimer’s disease can be difficult to diagnose specifically.
3D Signatures co-founder Dr. Sabine Mai, made the following statement, “Current diagnostic methods are not highly specific. In addition, Alzheimer’s disease is only confirmed postmortem pathologically. There is a significant need for an accurate, non-invasive biomarker that can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease and indicate disease progression, and we believe TeloView has the potential to answer that important call.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OntyoBmXO04