Researchers develop DNA aptamer to detect Alzheimer's biomarkers

With aging populations on the rise, the need for better tools to diagnose and monitor Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, has never been more urgent. This disease is characterized by the gradual loss of nerve cells, a process known as neurodegeneration, which begins years before the onset of obvious symptoms. One way to detect this damage is to look for signs of injury to nerve cells. A key emerging biomarker of neurodegeneration is neurofilament light chain (NfL), a structural protein component of large nerve fibers. When neurons are injured, NfL escapes into the cerebrospinal fluid and eventually into the bloodstream, providing a window into ongoing neurodegeneration.

Leveraging the potential of NfL as a biomarker, researchers from Japan have developed the world's first aptamer (tiny, single-stranded synthetic DNA molecules) that can bind NfL with high affinity and specificity. These aptamers are cost-effective and can be manufactured to a consistently high standard, making them attractive components for next-generation biosensor technology and blood-based diagnostics.

This study was led by Associate Professor Kaori Tsukakoshi from the Department of Chemistry at the Tokyo University of Science, Japan, along with second-year master's student Ms. Miyu Matsumoto and Distinguished Professor Kazunori Ikebukuro from the Department of Biotechnology at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan. Their work was made available online on December 16, 2025, and was published in Volume 796 of Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (BBRC) journal on January 18, 2026. These findings are the outcome of a joint UK–Japan research project supported by AMED-SICORP.

"We have reported the world's first DNA aptamer that binds to NfL, which is released into the blood in response to neurodegeneration in various neurodegenerative diseases. The developed aptamer has a binding affinity comparable to commercially available antibodies, and is expected to have a variety of applications in the future, such as diagnosing the progression of AD," says Assoc. Prof. Tsukakoshi.