The development of photonic ligands for imaging Ab plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) in vivo in the aging human brain is an important and active research topic
When used in combination with positron emission tomography (PET) or single photon emission computed tomography (Speck), amyloid-imaging tracers can facilitate the evaluation of the efficacy of anti-amyloid therapies.
Amyloid-imaging reagents can also serve as surrogate markers in early diagnosis and neuropathogenesis studies of Alzheimer's disease and other aging-related neurodegenerative disorders.
The structures of these Ab-imaging reagents vary from large proteins and peptides such as radiolabeled Ab peptides and monoclonal antibodies to small molecules derived from Congo red, Chrysamine-G, thioflavin-T and Acridine Orange.
In vitro studies indicate that amyloid plaques contain multiple binding sites that can accommodate structurally diverse compounds, providing flexibility for designing amyloid imaging agents.
Compared to large biomolecules, small photonic tracers are often readily accessible through chemical synthesis and can display superior brain permeability.
Several small amyloid-imaging photonic ligands display high binding affinities to Ab and sufficient brain penetration for imaging studies.
Recent studies demonstrate the feasibility of imaging amyloid plaques in vivo in human subjects with PET.
To address the imaging needs of b-amyloid research, AnaSpec offers colorimetric and fluorometric imaging reagents for b-amyloids.
These reagents are highly purified and suitable for neurostaining.
