A noninvasive optical imaging of retinal amyloid beta deposits in AD patients

描述（由申请人提供）：阿尔茨海默病（AD）是一种进行性和不可避免的致死性退行性痴呆，是目前影响超过500万美国人的最常见的痴呆形式。据估计，2012年美国的医疗费用超过2000亿美元，加上1500多万美国人的无偿医疗费用，价值达2100亿美元，生活质量和经济成本都很重要。对阿尔茨海默病的非侵入性诊断，特别是在早期阶段，对于有效治疗是必不可少的，并且提出了迫切的未满足的需求。由于现有的非侵入性脑成像技术无法提供微米级变化的足够细节，因此组织评估在特异性和分辨率上都受到限制，目前对阿尔茨海默病的最明确诊断需要尸检。我们应用的核心是在阿尔茨海默病患者的死后和活的人视网膜中，以及可能在疾病的早期阶段，识别淀粉样β蛋白（Abeta）斑块，这是阿尔茨海默病的病理特征。我们的Cedars-Sinai研究团队（也是NeuroVision， LLC. （NVI）的创始成员）发表的一项研究证实了在AD患者死后视网膜中发现的β斑块。我们的团队进一步开发了一种新的无创视网膜成像方法，通过姜黄素标记在活的AD转基因小鼠模型中检测这些斑块，从而以前所未有的高灵敏度和特异性对Abeta斑块进行体内成像。视网膜成像的可行性、成本和易用性的基本优势使其成为一种有吸引力的方式，具有明确的早期诊断和监测AD的巨大潜力。这项STTR拨款申请的主要目标是创建和验证一种非侵入性视网膜成像方法，以检测AD和轻度认知障碍患者视网膜中的Abeta沉积物。该应用程序的主要优势依赖于Cedars-Sinai研究小组（专门从事视网膜AD病理成像），KB imaging Solutions LLC（图像处理专家）和NeuroVision imaging LLC（商业化眼科设备和成像系统的领导者）之间的紧密合作。它有潜力开发、验证并最终商业化一种新的无创视网膜Abeta成像技术，以促进AD的诊断，具体目标如下：1)检查AD患者死后视网膜中Abeta斑块和视网膜层的地理位置，从而指导后续的成像方案；2)优化姜黄素荧光成像设备和软件，提高检测Abeta斑块的信号水平；3)进行初步临床影像学研究，并使用数据自动计算视网膜

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and invariably fatal degenerative dementia and the most common form of dementia that currently affects over 5 million Americans. The quality of life and economic costs are significant with estimated U.S. health care payments of over $200 billion in 2012, plus unpaid care by over 15 million Americans that is valued at $210 billion. A noninvasive diagnosis of AD and especially at early stage is essential for effective treatment and presents an urgent unmet need. Since existing noninvasive brain imaging technologies cannot provide sufficient detail about micrometer-size changes, tissue evaluation is limited in both specificity and resolution, and the most definitive diagnosis of AD currently comes at time of autopsy. At the core of our application is the identification of amyloid-beta protein (Abeta) plaques, characteristic of AD pathology, in postmortem and live human retina of AD patients, and possibly at early stages of the disease. The discovery of Abeta plaques in postmortem retinas of AD patients was demonstrated in a study published by our Cedars-Sinai research team, which are also the founding members of NeuroVision, LLC. (NVI). Further development of a novel noninvasive retinal imaging approach by our team to detect these plaques by curcumin labeling in live AD transgenic mouse models, allowed for the in vivo imaging of Abeta plaques at unprecedented high sensitivity and specificity. The fundamental advantages of feasibility, cost and ease-of use of retinal imaging make it an attractive modality, with great potential for unequivocal early diagnosis and monitoring of AD. The principal goal of this STTR grant application is to create and validate a noninvasive retinal imaging methodology to detect Abeta deposits in the retina of AD and mild cognitive impairment patients. A major strength of this application relies on the tight collaboration between the Cedars-Sinai research group (specializing in imaging retinal AD pathology), KB Imaging Solutions LLC (image processing experts), and NeuroVision Imaging LLC (leaders in commercializing ophthalmic devices and imaging systems). It has the potential to develop, validate, and eventually commercialize a novel noninvasive retinal Abeta imaging technology to facilitate AD diagnosis, with the following specific objectives: 1) To examine the geographic location of Abeta plaques and retinal layers in the postmortem retina of AD patients so as to guide the subsequent imaging protocol; 2) To optimize the imaging device and software for curcumin fluorescence and improve signal level for the detection of Abeta plaques; and 3) To perform an initial clinical imaging study and use the data to automate the calculation of a Retinal Amyloid Index (RAI), a quantitative measure of amyloid in the retina. With the current limitations in obtaining a definitive and early diagnostic test for AD, the commercial implications of the proposed study have the potential to make a significant impact on the market.