Discovery of new biomarkers of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease risk in buccal cells using laser scanning cytometry

TL;DRAbstract

Previous studies have shown that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may reflect the early stages of more pronounced neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In clinical practice, patients with AD are not usually identified until the disease has progressed to a stage when primary prevention is no longer possible. Therefore there is a need for a minimally invasive and inexpensive diagnostic to identify those who exhibit cellular pathology indicative of MCI and AD risk so that they can be prioritised for primary prevention. Human buccal cells are accessible in a minimally invasive manner, and exhibit cytological and nuclear morphologies that may be indicative of accelerated ageing or neurodegenerative disorders such as AD. The hypothesis that a minimally invasive approach using isolated buccal mucosa cells can be used to identify individuals diagnosed with MCI or AD was therefore tested using laser scanning cytometry (LSC). LSC combines the principles of flow cytometry,

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