The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) announced in a press release, results from a recent study where they used commercial dyes to aid dementia diagnosis.
The researchers reportedly experimented with hundreds of dyes. The goal of the study was to observe if the dyes would “stick to the different types of protein clumps that appear in the brain during dementia,” and use the results to create new dyes for the use of diagnosing specific dementias.
The first focal point was the tau protein, according to UCSF. 9% of the dyes used were able to stick to any of the tau “clumps.” When tested deeper, 10 of the dyes were classified as “sure hits.” The researchers hope their findings will advance diagnoses of other conditions as well.
