A Nasal Swab Test Could Change How Alzheimer’s is Detected

Duke researchers find early nerve and immune changes appear in the nose years before memory loss begins

Two doctors in white coats demonstrating a nasal swab with a medical device on a seated person.

This is a summary of a press release from Duke Health News.

Alzheimer’s disease is notoriously difficult to detect early, often diagnosed only after memory and cognitive decline have already begun. A new Duke Health study suggests that could change with a nasal swab exam.

Researchers found that a quick, outpatient procedure can detect early biological signals of Alzheimer’s, even before symptoms appear. The findings point to changes in nerve and immune cells that may serve as some of the earliest indicators of the disease.

“If we can diagnose people early enough, we might be able to start therapies that prevent them from ever developing clinical Alzheimer’s,” said Dr. Bradley J. Goldstein, the study’s corresponding author and surgeon-scientist at Duke University School of Medicine.

The procedure takes just minutes. After applying a numbing spray, clinicians collect cells from high inside the nasal cavity, where smell-related nerve cells are located. These cells are then analyzed to understand which genes are active, offering a real-time snapshot of processes linked to brain health.

A combined gene-based “nose tissue” score correctly identified Alzheimer’s cases about 81% of the time, including individuals who had biological signs of the disease but no symptoms yet.

For study participant Mary Umstead, the research carries personal significance. She joined the study in honor of her late sister, Mariah Umstead, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at age 57 after symptoms had already progressed.

“When the opportunity came along to be part of a research study, I just jumped at it because I would never want any family to have to go through that kind of loss that we went through with Mariah,” Mary said.

The research team aims to expand the study to larger groups and explore whether the nasal swab could also help track how patients respond to treatment over time. This work was funded by the National Institutes of Health, and Duke has filed a patent application on the technology and is looking for partners to help further development of this technology.

Learn more about how federally funded Duke Research Saves Lives in the full story at Duke Health News.