Early detection of amyloid aggregation using intrinsic fluorescence.

Beta-amyloid (Abeta) aggregation, believed to be responsible for Alzheimer's disease, is monitored using its intrinsic fluorescence decay. Alterations in the fluorescence decay of tyrosine correlate with the Abeta aggregation at a much earlier stage than the traditionally used fluorescence intensity of Thioflavin T (ThT). Potentially the finding may underpin progress towards an earlier diagnosis of the onset of Alzheimer's disease and an improved approach to developing intervention therapies. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.