X-Rays for Alzheimer's

Scientists think that plaques, called amyloid beta (Abeta), are the cause of Alzheimer's. The problem has been trying to find a safe and non-invasive way to track the Abeta's number and size. The Abeta plaques are very small, with the largest being 4 microns. For comparison, human hair is about 100 microns wide and red blood cells are 7 microns in diameter.

Enter diffraction-enhanced imaging, DEI. DEI has a high enough resolution that scientists and doctors can get the information they need on the plaques. It's currently only in the early stages, but hopefully they can find a way to make it safe for use on humans (the current work was done on a mouse).

DEI itself can't be used to treat Alzheimer's, but it will help in comparing the efficacy of treatments. With DEI researchers can compare the size and number of Abetas in the brain before and after treatment.