Nano-Therapy for Alzheimer's--Golden

This physorg.com news report details a new possible treatment to destroy amyloid plaques neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's using nano-gold particles.


Kogan and colleagues in Spain developed gold particles roughly 10 nanometers wide with peptides attached to them that specifically bond to the kind of abnormal proteins found in Alzheimer's. These particles are small enough to penetrate cell membranes and can also absorb microwave radiation.

The scientists incubated the nanoparticles with the protein for up to a week, long enough for the protein to clump up. Using microwave frequencies at power levels six times lower than those used by conventional mobile phones, the researchers found that several hours of irradiation heated the nanoparticles enough to completely dissolve the toxic clumps. The nanoparticles alone showed no such effect, while the microwaves alone accelerated the growth rate of the abnormal fibers.

Long life can be a good thing only if the brain continues to function properly. If the brain breaks down, the long life becomes a curse. Approaches to prolong life must necessarily include the means to preserve high level brain functioning. There are many approaches to doing this, and this blog will attempt to present them for readers as soon as they are published.