USC researchers have developed a blood test that can identify early signs of Alzheimer’s disease by measuring proteins linked to the condition. The new test, known as Penta-Plex Alzheimer’s Disease Capture Sandwich Immunoassay (5ADCSI), detects five biomarkers simultaneously, which is more than existing blood tests and runs on equipment commonly used in many laboratories. In proof-of-concept study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, the researchers selected a series of biomarkers known to build up in Alzheimer’s disease: two types of amyloid (Aβ40 and Aβ42), phosphorylated tau, neurofilament light chain (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). They developed a custom test to detect the presence of those biomarkers in a blood sample using the xMAP^® technology. This method uses tiny color-coded beads coated with antibodies that bind to specific biomarkers. When a blood sample is added, the biomarkers in the sample bind to the beads. Powerful imaging sensors then detect the colors emitted from the beads in order to measure the biomarkers. Once the test was built, researchers used it to measure Alzheimer’s-associated biomarkers in 63 blood samples across three groups: 11 patients with Alzheimer’s disease, 17 patients with mild cognitive impairment (a precursor of Alzheimer’s) and 35 healthy participants. The 5ADCSI test detected the highest levels of the biomarkers in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, followed by those with mild cognitive impairment. Researchers then used the same test to measure biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which typically contains higher levels of Alzheimer’s-associated proteins but is harder and more expensive to collect. They found moderate to strong correlations between blood and CSF results, suggesting the blood test is sensitive enough for early detection of the proteins.

A research team supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has developed and safely delivered a personalized gene editing therapy to treat an infant with a life-threatening, incurable genetic disease. The infant, who was diagnosed with the rare condition carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 (CPS1) deficiency shortly after birth, has responded positively to the treatment. The process, from diagnosis to treatment, took only six months and marks the first time the technology has been successfully deployed to treat a human patient. The technology used in this study was developed using a platform that could be tweaked to treat a wide range of genetic disorders and opens the possibility of creating personalized treatments in other parts of the body.

A team of scientists from Keck School of Medicine of USC and USC Viterbi School of Engineering has been awarded an $8 million, five-year grant from one of the National Institutes of Health to launch a Superfund Research Program Center where they will study environmental contamination from “forever chemicals,” or PFAS, which are used to make multiple household items from cookware to furniture. With the grant, the USC scientists are establishing the Southern California Superfund Research and Training Program for PFAS Assessment, Remediation and Prevention, or ShARP Center. There, they will investigate how these chemicals impact liver health, and how to detect and remove them from public water sources. Scientists at the ShARP Center will also focus on understanding how PFAS affect liver health, building on early evidence from animal models. To explore how PFAS exposure affects human liver cells, Chatzi and her team will employ advanced techniques such as 3D spheroid modeling. These lab-grown clusters of cells help scientists more accurately simulate what happens in the human body, compared to traditional 2D cell cultures. They will also conduct a population study that examines the link between PFAS exposure and liver disease in youth, a group that faces an outsized and growing risk of the condition. One major problem is PFAS contamination of public drinking water, which affects an estimated 200 million people nationwide. Researchers from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering will explore ways to remove PFAS from polluted water, including through the use of special microbes, chemicals or heating methods that can break down the chemicals.

UCLA researchers found that stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), a form of high-dose radiation delivered in just five sessions, is as safe as conventional treatment, with similar side effects and a similar impact on quality of life.