A start-up from Exeter University aims to commercialize an at-home finger prick blood test for Alzheimer’s that could cost as little as £10.
Attomarker is employing a new technique, initially developed as a COVID test, that uses tiny gold “nanoparticles” to illuminate a blood sample, enabling the detection of the various proteins associated with Alzheimer’s and other conditions.
“You’ve got something quite like a laboratory in your hand,” says Andrew Shaw, professor at Exeter University and founding CEO of Attomarker.
In addition to its affordability, the test only requires 10 microliters of blood — 3,000 times less than the amount generally required for routine hospital checks — and could deliver results in less than 10 minutes.
There are currently no blood tests for Alzheimer’s available.
Attomarker has raised £7 million from investors including the UK government and venture capital firms. The start-up also plans to apply its nanoparticle technique to detect other conditions such as allergies, menopause, and fertility.
Source: I News
