Overview
- The outpatient procedure numbs the nose and uses a small brush high in the nasal cavity to collect smell‑region nerve and immune cells for gene‑activity profiling.
- In samples from 22 participants, a combined gene score distinguished early or diagnosed Alzheimer’s from controls about 81% of the time.
- The swab also detected cellular changes in individuals with elevated amyloid who had not yet developed symptoms.
- Investigators describe the approach as simpler and less invasive than lumbar puncture or PET imaging, noting current blood tests often reflect later disease changes.
- The Duke–UNC team is expanding to larger cohorts and assessing potential for treatment monitoring, with NIH support and a U.S. patent filing disclosed.