MISIS has come up with a way to study a cell for Alzheimer's signs

MISIS has developed a method for early detection of Alzheimer's disease. Using the only scanning ion-conducting microscope in Russia, scientists have found out that Alzheimer's disease causes cells to become stiffer. 

MISIS University researchers together with colleagues from the Institute of Molecular Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences have developed a mechanism for early detection of Alzheimer's disease through the study of neuronal cells. The results of the study are published in the journal ACS Analytical Chemistry (Q1).

Using Russia's only scanning ion-conducting microscope with a confocal module, the scientists found out that Alzheimer's disease causes cells to become stiffer, as clusters of so-called beta-amyloid aggregates form on their surface. The most appropriate approach for studying the formation of these aggregates is scanning ion-conduction microscopy. Other ways of studying neurons are difficult because it is possible to damage the cells.

The new study was able to characterize the structure of beta-amyloid aggregates and determine the rigidity of neuronal cells. To determine how beta-amyloid aggregates affect reactive oxygen species (APS), platinum nanoelectrode technology was used. With their help, it was observed that if beta-amyloid is on the cell surface, the level of AFCs increases strongly. This means that the presence of amyloid plaques on the cell membrane surface affects the level of oxidative stress, which can lead to cell death.

MISIS believes that the developed methodology provides an opportunity to test the latest drugs aimed at the therapy of neurodegenerative diseases at the cellular level.