When it comes to diagnosing dementia, even the most common form — Alzheimer’s disease — remains difficult to confirm until after death. UCSF School of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Professor Jason Gestwicki, PhD, is working to change that.

Gestwicki and his research team recently screened hundreds of industrial dyes to find those that bind to the abnormal protein clumps linked to Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

Their streamlined approach, published in Nature Chemistry, points the way toward new diagnostic tools that could one day distinguish between different dementias more effectively and earlier in the disease process. Gestwicki’s group is also eager to see how their dye screening process could be used to address a wider range of diagnostic challenges in neurology, cancer, and other conditions.

“We’re optimistic that our approach can change the landscape of research and, ultimately, the care we provide for these devastating conditions,” said Gestwicki.