# Development of Novel Tau Retinal Tracers for Alzheimer's Disease and other Tauopathies

> **NIH NIH R43** · AMYDIS DIAGNOSTICS, INC. · 2021 · $492,212

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-related disease clinically diagnosed by the onset of
dementia. This disease is defined by the formation of amyloid-beta (A) plaques and NFTs
composed of tau aggregates. Although tau pathology has been considered secondary to A
accumulation, it has been proposed that it may correlate more accurately to disease
progression and cognitive changes. Abnormal tau aggregation occurs not only in the
Alzheimer’s disease, but also in a family of protein-misfolding diseases called tauopathies.
Currently, diagnosis of AD in individuals showing symptoms of cognitive decline is a lengthy and
costly process, requiring multiple modes of testing over months to years. Early, pre-symptomatic
diagnosis is even more challenging, if not impossible, with currently available technology.
The only definitive way to diagnose AD is through post-mortem analysis. An ante-mortem
diagnostic is needed that can reliably identify AD at the early, asymptomatic stages, enabling
patients to get under the guidance of neurologist before the disease is at an advanced stage to
maximize the opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Furthermore, a useful and affordable
outcome marker is needed for clinical trials focused on therapies for AD/tauopathies that could
stop or reverse progression of the disease. Amydis’ goal is to address these unmet needs by
identifying tau in the eye, as a window to the brain, for early detection of AD/tauopathies. This
proposal aims to develop small molecule fluorescent retinal tracers as a novel diagnostic for
Alzheimer’s disease and tauopathies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10323564
- **Project number:** 1R43AG071089-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** AMYDIS DIAGNOSTICS, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Stella Sarraf
- **Activity code:** R43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $492,212
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10323564

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10323564, Development of Novel Tau Retinal Tracers for Alzheimer's Disease and other Tauopathies (1R43AG071089-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10323564. Licensed CC0.

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